Congress says no rift in Punjab. The meetings, boycotts and ultimatums suggest otherwise

LEss than a twelvemonth before Punjab goes to the polls, the united states congress is consumed by a struggle o'er who should top the party into that election — a fight that its central leadership continues to insist does not exist.The rift centres on two men: Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the Punjab Congress president the high command has backed, and Charanjit Singh Channi, the former chief minister and Jalandhar MP leading the challenge.The stakes are high. Congress was reduced to 18 seats in Punjab in 2022, its worst-ever result in the state, as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept to power with 92. The party has cast the 2027 election — due early next year — as its chance to recover, which is exactly why factions within it are battling over who leads that campaign.Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s politics of fruitless opportunismHow the rift unfoldedThe dispute began over an organisational reshuffle — or rather, the lack of one. On July 1, the Congress announced that Warring would continue as Punjab unit president, and Channi was named chairperson of the party's campaign committee. Some read the decision as a snub because a section of leaders had been pushing for Channi to get the party unit top post.In the days that followed, a number of incumbent and former MLAs publicly urged the party to reconsider Channi for the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief's post. Then, on July 3, nearly two dozen sitting and former legislators, several former ministers, and party workers gathered at Channi’s residence in Morinda — in what was perceived as the first organised show of dissent.The gathering constituted a committee to carry its concerns to the high command and authorised Channi to decide the future course of action on its behalf, issuing a seven-day ultimatum for the leadership to reconsider its decision.On Monday, as Bhupesh Baghel — the Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab — arrived in the state for a five-day visit, the group reconvened for a second time, now in Mohali and again in Channi’s presence. There, it resolved to boycott Warring's programmes and step up pressure on the high command for an immediate change.Those involved include former deputy chief minister and newly appointed core committee chairman Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and former ministers Rana Gurjeet Singh, Pargat Singh, Razia Sultana, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Gurpreet Singh Kangar, along with MLAs Kuldeep Singh Dhillon and Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon.Their case to replace Warring rests on the argument that the party cannot return to power in Punjab under his leadership. His leadership, they allege, has damaged the Congress at the grassroots, and the party has seen successive electoral setbacks, most recently poor results in civic elections, including in traditional strongholds.The Congress, they say, needs a fresh face before 2027 and Channi is more popular among workers.Since the Mohali meeting, Channi has conspicuously stayed away from Baghel's own engagements with Punjab leaders.Channi did not attend the Tuesday dinner hosted by Rana Kanwarpal Singh, and a Wednesday meeting at the residence of former minister Kaka Randeep Singh. Both gatherings drew senior leaders, but no one from the Channi camp. By Wednesday, it marked the third consecutive day Channi had skipped Baghel's engagements.A former minister in the Channi camp said the group does not intend to change course. "We are not against the party, but we want someone at the helm who can steer the party towards victory," he said, adding that he had already told Baghel over the phone that party workers wanted change and decisive leadership.The camp's leaders, he said, would skip meeting Baghel altogether and instead take their case directly to the high command. "We will finalise our strategy soon," he had said.The high command has, in turn, shown it is prepared to discipline open dissent. Former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur was issued a show-cause notice this week, after he allegedly criticised Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and Baghel over Warring’s continuation as state chief. The central leadership's standThe central leadership's position has not moved. Their support for Warring is based on three grounds — avoiding instability as 2027 preparations intensify, preventing further factionalism by reopening leadership questions, and a belief that a change now would weaken rather than strengthen the party organisation.Baghel has been the most vocal. He said the three working presidents of the Punjab Congress and other senior leaders welcomed the new arrangement during his meetings with them. By Wednesday — the third day of his visit, and after Channi had already skipped two rounds of his engagements — Baghel moved to shut down the speculation, telling reporters in Chandigarh that high command decisions were not "gudda-guddi ka khel" — child's play."Once the high command takes a decision, it does not change. Koi gudda-guddi ka khel hai kya ke baar-baar nirnay badla jayega," he said.Baghel has said he has also spoken to Channi by phone. Channi told him that he was out of town for two to three days, and would meet him once he returned, the general secretary said. The two had not met face-to-face at any point during the visit. Warring, meanwhile, has been seen at Baghel’s engagements.Also read: Keeping up with UP: Congress and the quest for Dalit votes ahead of 2027 pollsUnited, they insistNeither of the two camps has publicly called the episode a revolt.Warring framed the recent flurry of meetings by the Channi camp as organisational consolidation. "The Congress party is united. Every leader and worker is committed to ensuring the party's victory in Punjab. Channi and all senior leaders will come together on a common platform," he said."What is wrong if Channi calls a meeting of Congress leaders? All those who attended spoke in favour of the party," he added, describing Channi as "like an elder brother."Of his own position, he said: "The party has entrusted me with a responsibility, and I will continue to discharge it with complete dedication. The party comes before everything else."Baghel has struck the same note. "There is no resentment in the Congress party. There is no need to revisit the decisions taken by the high command, and the party will not change them. Everything in the Punjab Congress is absolutely fine... Our only goal is to form the Congress government in Punjab after the 2027 assembly elections," he had said.He added this week, "There is no dissidence and any minor issues will be sorted out. Everyone belongs to the Congress, and Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are our leaders. We will contest the elections unitedly."Leaders in the Channi camp have toed the same line. "We are not indulging in dissidence. We are simply conveying the sentiments of workers, who want Channi to play a larger leadership role. We are confident the high command will resolve the issue," Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said.Channi, addressing the media at his residence for the first time since the row began, declined to comment on the factionalism but said that Rahul Gandhi "was his leader and will always remain so." He added that he would abide by whatever strategy the party decided.Publicly, the party has tried to move past the dispute by shifting focus to 2027 preparations, including a statewide campaign called 'MGNREGA Bachao Sangram'. Insiders say the campaign would also help keep rival factions occupied on a common political platform rather than against each other.