When the Congress sees a strong chance of returning to power in Punjab, continued factionalism is posing a serious challenge to the party. Even after the party high command issued a clear and categorical ultimatum to the dissenting party leaders, particularly Charanjit Singh Channi, the rebels have refused to budge. They are understood to have made it clear that they will completely boycott Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
Besides Channi, another senior leader, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, has also come out in the open against the PCC president. Both Channi and Randhawa are maintaining a distance from Warring. They are believed to have rallied around several other leaders who do not get along well with Warring.
Even yesterday, Channi and Randhawa were conspicuous by their absence during a protest by Punjab Congress MPs against alleged police excesses on sanitation workers in Barnala, outside Parliament. Besides Warring, Gurjeet Aujla, Dr Amar Singh and Sher Singh Ghubaya staged the protest.
Today, too, when a Congress MPs' delegation went to meet the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes to submit a memorandum on the Barnala issue, Channi and Randhawa were absent. Dharamvir Gandhi also accompanied Warring and the others.
As the elections draw closer, the problem of factionalism is becoming increasingly serious for the Congress. So much so that people close to Channi and Randhawa do not rule out the possibility of the two leaders quitting the Congress and joining another party or even forming one of their own.
The trigger for the fresh anger of the Channi-Randhawa duo is said to be the way in which the party high command issued a stern warning to Channi during a strategy meeting of senior party leaders in New Delhi recently. The duo feels that the high command was too obvious in its pro-Warring stance and did not show enough balance. Channi was reportedly told rather bluntly that he had been picked as Chief Minister in 2021 despite having little political standing at the time.
The party high command is also believed to have not taken kindly to Randhawa's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the factional feud within the party. Although Randhawa had clarified that the meeting had been fixed days in advance and was related to certain issues concerning his parliamentary constituency, the high command reportedly questioned the timing of the meeting.
The rebel leaders are also unhappy with the general secretary in charge, Bhupesh Baghel, who is seen as taking a pro-Warring stance. But there is nothing unusual about this. The general secretary in charge usually goes along with the PCC president as long as the latter enjoys the confidence of the party high command. If and when Warring loses the support of the high command, Baghel may be the first to distance himself from him.
It is probably for the first time that the factional feud within the Congress has gone this far. While factionalism is not new to the Congress ahead of elections, warring leaders would usually bury the hatchet and wait for the elections to conclude. This time, with the rebel leaders having some "tempting options" outside the party, they seem determined to stick to their rebellious stand.
The Congress is currently in a very tricky situation in Punjab. It really cannot afford to make a last-minute change in the state leadership. For one, it would open a Pandora's box for the party at the national level. Second, the new president, if the Congress decides to replace Warring, would have very limited time to settle down and prepare for a battle that is going to be a decisive one.
There is still hope for the party if Rahul Gandhi gets directly involved in the state. He should spend some dedicated time in Punjab, talk to all leaders and prominent workers, and assure them that everyone's sentiments will be respected.
The high command will be doing a great disservice to itself if it leaves everything to Baghel. This is the time for Rahul to step in. He can leverage the recent popularity he has gained after supporting the students' protests that eventually led to the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
It is now or never for the Congress in Punjab, lest it be too late.
Also read: Warring warns of HC move over assault on sanitation workers
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