New Delhi: The Congress high command has convened an urgent meeting of Punjab leaders in New Delhi on Thursday to address the party’s ongoing internal discord and the growing controversy over the chief ministerial face.
The meeting, which was earlier scheduled for Friday, was advanced amid escalating tensions within the Punjab unit. Senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and K C Venugopal, are expected to send a strong message to the state leadership on factionalism and public infighting.
Several Punjab Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, were seen arriving at Kharge’s residence ahead of the meeting.
Row over Channi’s remarks
The meeting comes in the backdrop of a controversy triggered by remarks made by former Punjab chief minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi during a Congress SC Cell meeting on January 17. In a video that later went viral, Channi was heard questioning why key party posts in Punjab were allegedly dominated by upper-caste leaders, and why Dalits, who constitute around 35–38% of the state’s population, were not getting proportional representation.
Channi had pointed out that the state Congress president, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, the women’s wing chief and the general secretary all belonged to upper castes. Although he initially denied making any reference to Jatt Sikhs, the circulation of the video sparked sharp reactions within the party.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring responded strongly, saying Channi was in no position to raise such issues. Warring noted that despite losing Assembly elections from two seats, Channi was made a Member of Parliament and is also a member of the powerful Congress Working Committee, besides serving as chairman of the Lok Sabha’s agriculture committee.
Warring also pointed out that Randhawa was initially in line for the chief minister’s post, but the party chose Channi instead. “Dalits are and will remain the crown of our heads. Congress is a secular party and Punjab is a secular state. There is no place for caste politics here,” he said.
The high command’s intervention is seen as an attempt to rein in dissent and restore unity ahead of crucial political battles in Punjab.
