Congress Rebellion Sparks in Punjab: Former CM Channi Snubs In-Charge Bhupesh Baghel in Chandigarh
Chandigarh: With the high-stakes assembly elections just around the corner, internal rebellion has once again rocked the Punjab Congress unit. The deep-seated factionalism within the party came out in the open on Monday when the newly appointed Punjab Congress in-charge, Bhupesh Baghel, arrived in Chandigarh. In a glaring display of political defiance, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi skipped the airport reception, deliberately maintaining his distance from the central leadership's emissary.
A Divided Welcome at the Airport
While prominent state leaders like Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Pratap Singh Bajwa rushed to the airport to welcome Bhupesh Baghel, the Channi camp chose to execute a strategic boycott. Major heavyweights from the Channi faction, including Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Sukhbinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria, were nowhere to be seen at the terminal.
Interestingly, former Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni was the sole representative from Channi's core circle who broke ranks to attend the airport welcome, hinting at complex internal dynamics. Sources close to Charanjit Singh Channi explicitly confirmed that the former Chief Minister has consciously distanced himself from the high-level meeting convened by Baghel.
Secret Mohali Huddle Explodes into Delhi Chalo Move
Prior to Baghel’s arrival, the political temperature shot up when Channi hosted an emergency closed-door meeting with his loyalist MLAs and leaders at a private location in Mohali. Following this intense huddle, reports emerged that several senior leaders from the rebel camp immediately caught flights to New Delhi to register their grievances with the party's high command.
When questioned about the sudden parallel meetings, Raja Warring downplayed the crisis, telling reporters that the internal discussions were strictly focused on upcoming election strategies and lacked any malicious factionalism.
Rebel Demand: Sack Raja Warring and Declare Channi as CM Face
However, ground realities paint a drastically different picture of the Congress house in Punjab. Insiders reveal that during the Mohali huddle, the Channi faction expressed extreme displeasure over the party's decision to retain Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state chief.
The rebel group has laid down a clear ultimatum for the central leadership: they refuse to accept Raja Warring's leadership for the upcoming electoral battle. Instead, they are aggressively demanding that the absolute command of the Punjab Congress be handed over to Charanjit Singh Channi, alongside an immediate announcement projecting him as the party's undisputed Chief Ministerial candidate.
"I Am Not in the CM Race," Clarifies Raja Warring
As the leadership crisis threatens to derail the party's election campaign, state unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring attempted to diffuse the situation with a public clarification. Warring stated categorically that he is not a contender for the top post.
He emphasized that his singular, unwavering objective is to steer the party back to power in the state assembly polls next year. Warring further added that he holds absolutely no personal objection if the party high command chooses to officially project Charanjit Singh Channi or any other senior leader as the face of the campaign, signaling his willingness to compromise for the sake of party unity.
