Chandigarh: In a clear message to the dissident Charanjit Singh Channi camp, Punjab affairs in charge Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of a change in the leadership that has been decided by the party high command.Baghel warned that indiscipline will not be tolerated and action has already been initiated against those who spoke out against the party high command.Channi’s supporters are pressing the high command to reconsider the recent appointments, particularly the decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as Pradesh Congress Committee president,On Tuesday, Baghel held a series of meetings with senior Congress functionaries, and said that the 2027 assembly elections would be fought “under the collective leadership of PCC president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa”.Channi, a former Punjab CM who was recently named campaign committee chairman, and ex-deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the core committee chairman, did not meet Baghel for the second day.Baghel said those who met him unanimously welcomed the high command’s decisions. “The elections will be contested under collective leadership, and we are confident of success,” he said.Efforts to bridge the divide, however, seem to have begun through back-channel communication. Punjab Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka met Channi on Tuesday morning and then joined Baghel for breakfast, where he conveyed Channi’s views, said party sources. The Channi camp, however, is keen on meeting Rahul Gandhi directly to present its concerns rather than routing them through Baghel, say sources.After meeting Channi, Verka rejected suggestions of a split and said: “If anyone has a grievance, they can raise it with Bhupesh Baghel. If anyone wishes to speak directly with Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge or KC Venugopal, they will be given that opportunity… I have met Channi. No one should harbour the misconception that I am at odds with Channi. Channi is with me, and I am with Channi.”On Monday, Baghel had called a meeting of heads of the party’s four newly constituted election-related committees but only two of them showed up — manifesto committee chairman Dr Amar Singh and election management and coordination committee chairman Vijay Inder Singla. Channi and Randhawa did not.Baghel and Warring sought to play down their absence and maintained that efforts to engage all leaders would continue. Baghel said he would remain in Punjab for five days and was willing to meet every leader. “Whoever calls me, I will go and meet them. Everything will be sorted out,” he said.Warring also dismissed speculation over Channi and Randhawa not meeting Baghel. He said Channi had already informed the leadership that he would be out of station for a day or two and that Baghel had spoken to him. Warring added that only the four committee chairpersons had been invited.“Two committee chairpersons met Baghel, while Randhawa and Channi informed him that they would meet him in a day or two. Besides them, no one else was invited,” he said. Punjab Congress manifesto committee co-chairman Pargat Singh also rejected suggestions of factionalism, saying routine interactions among party leaders were being given unnecessary political interpretations.On his participation in Channi’s meeting, Pargat said the discussions focused on Punjab’s challenges. Calling himself a “team player”, he said differences of opinion were natural in a democratic party. “There may be some misunderstandings, but they need to be resolved so that we can move forward,” he said, adding that Punjab required better governance and that “there is no scope for experiments with the state”.Congress leaders at the national level also sought to play down reports of divisions within the Punjab unit. Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said factionalism was not uncommon in political parties. “Where isn’t there factionalism? There is nothing wrong with it. We are a democratic party, not BJP or RSS,” she said.Congress veteran Ashok Gehlot also acknowledged the recent unease in the Punjab unit, saying, “Recent decisions in Punjab have caused some unrest, but the matter is in the knowledge of the high command. We hope the misunderstandings will be resolved soon, allowing the party to unite for the next election with the aim of forming a Congress govt. We will all work to bring the Congress back to office in Punjab.”Warring defended the Punjab Congress disciplinary committee’s decision to showcause former MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur over his alleged remarks against the party leadership. “Anyone who speaks against the high command or fails to maintain proper decorum will be issued a notice. He will submit his explanation, and thereafter the party will take appropriate action,” Warring said.Dullo Takes Swipe At DissentersTaking a veiled swipe at leaders unhappy with the high command’s decisions, former Punjab Congress president Shamsher Singh Dullo, without naming anyone, said that “uncultured people” had entered Congress and were not maintaining party discipline. “Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel has come here, and I think he will return only after teaching them discipline,” Dullo said.
