Chandigarh:
According to sources, Randhawa, Rana Gurjit Singh, Pargat Singh, Channi, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Birendra Singh Dhillon and several other senior leaders met at Rana Gurjit Singh’s residence to discuss the growing discontent within the party over the July 1 decision to retain Warring as the state unit chief.
A source said that during the meeting of the Channi-Randhawa faction, it was decided that the group would meet Baghel on Saturday and officially present its views to him.
Earlier, the meeting between the Channi camp and Baghel was expected to take place on July 10. Sources said Saturday’s meeting would be held at a neutral venue.
A party source said the dissident camp led by Channi was not willing to settle for any compromise and remained united on a single demand: Warring must be removed as the state unit chief.
The source said leaders in the Channi camp had conveyed to the party leadership that under Warring, the Congress would not be able to put up a strong performance in the next Assembly elections and that the party’s hopes of returning to power in Punjab under his leadership would suffer.
The group has also told the party that it has no option but to replace him if it wants to rebuild its prospects in the state, the source added.
It is worth mentioning that the Congress lost power to the AAP in the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab, winning only 17 seats in the 117-member House.
Meanwhile, Baghel, who arrived in Punjab on Monday, had maintained that appointing or removing a president was not “gudda-gudia ka khel” — or child’s play.
A source said Baghel has been camping in Chandigarh to meet all sections of the party leadership and hear everyone out.
Baghel has also sent a clear message to the dissident camp to come forward for talks, the source said, adding that the former Chief Minister has done his part and the ball is now in the Channi camp’s court to meet him and sort out the situation.
Meanwhile, the Channi-Randhawa camp has stayed away from all Punjab Congress programmes over the past three days where Warring was present in his capacity as the state party chief.
The move is being seen as an open expression of displeasure over the high command’s decision to continue with the existing leadership.
Sources said the Channi-led faction has also escalated the matter to the Congress high command.
Earlier this week, former Punjab minister and MLA Pargat Singh, along with several other legislators, had arrived in Delhi to convey the group’s concerns directly to the party leadership.
A source further said the manner in which the Channi camp tried to bypass state-level mediation and directly approach the central leadership has not gone down well with the party leadership.
The source also said this was the third instance in the past two years where Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s decision had been opposed by party leaders.
According to the source, the decision on Punjab was taken after the party leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, held eight rounds of consultations with state leaders and senior party functionaries.
The source said the earlier two instances came during the Central Election Committee meeting ahead of the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, when Rahul Gandhi had asked leaders about a possible alliance. At that time too, the source said, his direction was not followed, resulting in the AAP announcing its candidates.
The source said the manner in which Rahul Gandhi’s decision has been opposed is also being seen as a sign of his waning command over the party, and that some steps may be taken in the coming days to reassert the authority of the high command.
