Now Reading: Channi slogans at Congress meet expose Punjab factionalism
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Channi slogans at Congress meet expose Punjab factionalism
Supporters of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi raised slogans in his favour at a Congress party programme in Khanna on Saturday, disrupting the united front that the party’s high command has…
The Story in Brief
Supporters of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi raised slogans in his favour at a Congress party programme in Khanna on Saturday, disrupting the united front that the party’s high command has been trying to project. The incident occurred on the concluding day of a nine-day tour by Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel under the “Har Booth Congress Mazboot” campaign. Party workers who raised the slogans were asked to stop and later walked out of the meeting.
Both Baghel and state Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring insisted there was no factionalism, with Baghel stating that indiscipline would not be tolerated at any level. The episode follows the July 1 decision to retain Warring as state chief while appointing Channi chairman of the campaign committee, a move that has failed to settle leadership rivalries. Similar signs of unease have been reported in Bathinda, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala and Ludhiana.
The Indian Opinion
The Congress high command’s claim of unity sounds hollow when workers walk out of an official programme. Both sides share blame: the leadership has tried to balance rivals but allowed the rivalry to fester, while Channi’s supporters are pushing for a larger role rather than falling in line. The real test will come at the party’s next public meeting. Can Baghel and Warring ensure discipline without sidelining a former chief minister who still commands a following? That number, of how many more districts see similar protests, will settle the question.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
