Chandigarh, July 3: A major display of internal friction emerged within the Punjab Congress as party leaders and workers gathered at the Chamkaur Sahib residence of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The substantial morning gathering signaled open dissatisfaction with the party high command’s decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Political observers noted that this collective mobilization serves as the first overt sign of organizational discord ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The central leadership’s choices have caused visible disappointment among senior party workers who looked forward to a structural change. Former ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and OP Soni arrived at the residence to confer with the former Chief Minister on the development. While speaking to mediapersons at the venue, the leaders stated, “We have come to meet Channi and will continue to follow his directions regarding the party’s future course.”
District-level leaders and former legislators at the meeting argued that a change in leadership was essential to energize the grassroots campaign against the current administration. They asserted that Channi’s past tenure as Chief Minister and deep connection with the cadre made him the ideal choice to handle the organizational reins. The party workers collectively declared that projecting Channi as the face of the state unit would have substantially improved the party’s electoral prospects.
While the party high command maintained silence regarding the escalating friction, Channi himself refrained from issuing an immediate public comment. Sources indicated that the former Chief Minister planned to address his assembled supporters and release an official statement later in the evening. The main concern for the party leadership remains whether central figures will intervene to reconcile these internal differences before election campaigning intensifies.
