India News | Channi-led Punjab Congress Faction Postpones Baghel Meeting Amid Growing Internal Differences
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The development comes amid speculation over internal differences within the Punjab Congress following recent organisational changes in the state unit.
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 10 (ANI): The meeting between former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress leaders and AICC in-charge of Punjab Bhupesh Baghel has been postponed and will now take place on Saturday at 11:00 AM, sources said.
The development comes amid speculation over internal differences within the Punjab Congress following recent organisational changes in the state unit.
Earlier, senior Punjab Congress leaders, including Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Gurkirat Singh Kotli and Barindermeet Singh Pahra, met on Thursday and sought to project unity within the party.
After the meeting, Randhawa said the gathering sent out a message of unity despite differences of opinion.
"Today, Pargat Singh has given a clear message that there may be differences in opinions, but Congress stands together," Randhawa told reporters.
Pargat Singh said the party high command had been kept informed and efforts were underway to resolve internal issues.
"The party high command is in the loop. We are talking to resolve things," he said.
Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh said the meeting boosted his morale and that leaders held a "strategic discussion" on the way forward.
"Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh, and others, met today. Congress party will not sit silently. We will raise our voice against anything that goes against democracy. The meeting today boosted my morale. We had a strategic discussion," Rana said.
Elaborating on the discussions, Rana said the leaders conveyed that the party would not remain silent on issues concerning democratic principles.
"Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Gurkirat Kotli and Barindermeet Singh Pahra visited me together today and said that the Congress party would not sit idly by. If there is any subversion of democracy, we must raise our voices against it. That is the strategy the Congress party must adopt. They have boosted my morale, and I thanked them. We were discussing whether to knock on the court's door or organise a major event to address the situation," he said.
Rana also said there was no deadlock within the party and clarified that he had spoken to Congress secretary Suraj Thakur but not to Bhupesh Baghel.
"I haven't spoken to Baghel. As for Suraj Thakur, our secretary, I have spoken to him. Where is the deadlock? All is Well. No one is outside the purview of the High Command. Everything will be fine when the time comes," Rana said.
The discussions came after Bhupesh Baghel had earlier said that he would meet Channi and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa after they skipped a key party meeting.
Baghel had defended the decisions taken by the party high command, saying that the decisions were final and could not be changed repeatedly. He also backed the reappointment of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Punjab Congress president and dismissed speculation of differences within the state unit.
Meanwhile, Channi and a group of leaders had reportedly travelled to Delhi to raise their concerns over the recent leadership changes as the party prepares for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
Earlier, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring had maintained that Channi had not distanced himself from the party and dismissed reports of infighting, saying he was ready to make any sacrifice for the party.
The leadership issue comes amid a wider political confrontation between the Punjab Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)