Pro-Channi slogans disrupt another Congress meet in Punjab amid leadership tussle
Tensions resurfaced within the Punjab Congress on Sunday after sloganeering by supporters of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi briefly disrupted the party's "Har Booth
Tensions resurfaced within the Punjab Congress on Sunday after sloganeering by supporters of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi briefly disrupted the party's "Har Booth, Congress Mazboot" campaign meeting in Barnala, prompting senior leaders to call for discipline and unity ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The meeting was attended by Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel, state party chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Barnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon, former minister Raj Kumar Verka and senior leader Razia Sultana. Read Full Story Soon after the meeting began, a group of workers raised slogans of "Channi zindabad", leading to a brief commotion before party leaders intervened and the programme resumed.
Reacting to the disruption, Razia Sultana said some people were deliberately trying to spoil the atmosphere within the party and demanded strict action against them. "There are some people who want to vitiate the party's atmosphere. Those responsible should be expelled from the party. We will not allow any leader to disturb the organisation," she said, while asserting that the Congress was united and would return to power in Punjab in 2027. Addressing the controversy later, Warring sought to play down the slogan shouting, saying it was being portrayed out of proportion. "It is being shown as if some Pakistan slogans were raised.
Channi has been the chief minister of Punjab. Don't project it on television as if anti-national slogans were raised," he said. Standing before television cameras, Warring himself raised slogans in support of several Congress leaders, including "Channi Zindabad", "Dullo Sahib Zindabad" and "Pratap Bajwa Zindabad", before alleging that the sloganeering could have been a ploy by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to disrupt the Congress programme. Baghel also appealed for unity, saying the party's focus should remain on strengthening the organisation ahead of the Assembly elections. The latest disruption comes a day after similar scenes unfolded at Congress programmes in Patiala and Sangrur, where Channi supporters raised slogans in his favour, exposing the continuing leadership tussle within the Punjab unit.
The Congress has been grappling with internal factionalism ever since the party retained Warring as Punjab Congress president while appointing Channi as the chairman of its campaign committee. Baghel has repeatedly maintained that the party high command will decide the chief ministerial face only after the Assembly elections and has warned that indiscipline will not be tolerated. Ends
The BriefWire