New Delhi,
With the Punjab Congress internal rift widening, senior leaders from the state including CLP Partap Singh Bajwa, state working President Rajkumar Verka and incharge Bhupesh Baghel met party chief Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the sources maintained that the Congress is not in mood to have a leadership change in the state ahead of the crucial assembly polls.
Earlier in the day, Bajwa arrived at the residence of Venugopal and held meeting with him for over 40 minutes. Soon after that Baghel also met Venugopal and while speaking to the media and again reiterated that the making a change in organisation is not a child’s play as he also denied the reports of Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring offering his resignation from the post to the leadership.
Baghel said, “As earlier I have said that it is not a child’s play, same status is there.”
He also clarified that there is no resignation by Warring to the leadership.
Even Verka met Venugopal and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at their residence. Baghel too met Kharge and is learnt to have apprised him about the current political situation in Punjab.
Speaking to the The Daily Guardian, Verka said, “We have started the preparation for 2027 assembly polls, and I have apprised the party about the same. And the party high command is holding talks with all the leaders of the state to bring everyone together.”
He also clarified that there can be differences in a family,.and same is the case with the Congress where there are differences on opinions but party is is the parent body and we all are like its children and party leadership will listen to them.
He also stated that in the coming days the party will conduct a state wide bus yatra with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi leading it where all state leaders will give a united face.
When asked about most of the senior leaders demanding for removal of Warring as state unit chief, he said that there is a tactics of having healthy discussion in our party where all the leaders keep their views and that are listened by the leadership.
So all these differences will be sorted out, he said.
To another question that Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa mentioning about compromised leader, Verka said that there is no one compromised in our party and if there are any, there is no place for them in the party.
On the other hand, sources said Warring will continue as Congress state chief.
The source claimed that Warring will continue as the Punjab Congress president, as the party believes that changing the leadership at this stage would weaken the organisation in the state.
Sources said that out of the 29 district Congress presidents, 25 are backing Warring. He also enjoys the support of four Members of Parliament and eight to nine MLAs.
Source also said that Warring has been serving as the state unit chief for nearly four and a half years.
“Removing him just a few months before the assembly elections could weaken the party, as he has a strong hold over the organisational structure,” the source said.
The party high command believes that the disgruntled faction can be persuaded and placated and brought on board in coming days, the source added.
Factionalism had erupted in Punjab Congress after the party decided to retain Warring as state unit chief. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and several others had questioned the decision and demanded for a review on the same.
The warring leaders had also stated away from the meeting of Baghel for five days in Chandigarh, before finally meeting him on Saturday at the residence of Rana Gurjeet Singh.
