The discord that erupted within the Punjab Congress party shows no signs of abating. Following Rahul Gandhi’s foreign trip, the Congress party is now holding meetings in Delhi to resolve the conflict. In this connection, former Chief Minister and MP Charanjit Singh Channi, MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and MLA Rana Gurjit Singh arrived in Delhi today. These leaders will meet with the party’s Organization General Secretary, KC Venugopal. Charanjit Singh Channi is currently dissatisfied with the party, and Randeep Surjewala has also met with him to placate him. All eyes are on Channi to see what his next steps will be.
The Congress Party announced its election team after several days of deliberation. There were speculations that Raja Warring would be removed from the post of president, but nothing of the sort happened. Channi was appointed chairman of the campaign committee. Following this, Channi took a rebellious stance and held a meeting with his supporters at his home in Mohali, promising to challenge the high command’s decision. Channi is insisting on speaking with Rahul Gandhi and the party high command, but Rahul Gandhi has not given him time to meet.
High command angry with Channi
According to reports, the Congress high command is displeased with Charanjit Singh Channi. He wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, but the party has sent him a message that a meeting is currently impossible. Yesterday, Pratap Singh Bajwa held a meeting in Delhi, and KC Venugopal sent him to meet Channi. Following this, Channi and other MPs and leaders will meet with KC Venugopal in Delhi today.
Difficulty in removing the wadding
After submitting his report to the Congress high command, in-charge Bhupesh Baghel made it clear that leadership change is not a game change. This means the party still intends to contest the elections with Raja Vading. The Congress party believes that organizational changes just before the elections will weaken the organization. Therefore, Vading’s removal is considered unlikely. The Congress high command is also not attaching much importance to Channi’s rebellious stance.
Did Channi get into the wrong mess?
Charanjit Singh Channi is a prominent leader in the Congress Party. Rahul Gandhi chose him as the Chief Minister, replacing Amarinder Singh. He was subsequently appointed the Chief Minister face of the 2022 elections and was given tickets from two constituencies. However, the Congress party suffered a crushing defeat in these elections, and Channi himself lost both seats. Channi subsequently won the Lok Sabha elections and returned to Delhi, now seeking to become the party’s president. Party surveys have shown Channi as the most popular face.
However, Channi’s rebellious stance has damaged his image within the party. Rahul Gandhi is also displeased with him and has not even given him time to meet. Channi has been told that he must abide by the party high command’s decision. Bhupesh Baghel has made it clear that there will be no change. Channi is now meeting in Delhi, and it is believed that the party will convince him.
Will Channi form a separate party?
Many Congress leaders attended Charanjit Singh Channi’s Morinda meeting, including former ministers, MLAs, candidates, and current MLAs, along with several local leaders. Sukhjinder Randhawa then joined him, and the two were seen together. At the Morinda meeting, the leaders had stated that they would support Channi in whatever decision he made. However, the story behind the scenes is different. Most of the leaders seen with Channi were not with Channi, but against Raja Warring. The Congress party has witnessed such factionalism before, where other factions have come together to remove one faction. Many other leaders, like Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, are with Channi solely because they want to replace the chief. After the meeting, several leaders stated that they were with the Congress high command, but the decision needed to be considered.
Political experts say that if Channi decides to form a separate party or join another party, many of the leaders seen with him will pledge allegiance to the Congress party and remain in it. This will leave Channi isolated. Channi also knows that not many leaders will support him in his rebellion against the party.