Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi put on a significant show of political strength on Friday as nearly two dozen former and sitting Congress MLAs, several ex-ministers and hundreds of party workers assembled at his residence in Morinda, located in the Chamkaur Sahib Assembly constituency. The gathering was widely viewed as a signal of growing dissatisfaction within the Punjab Congress over the party's recent organisational appointments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The meeting is being seen as the first coordinated expression of dissent against the Congress high command's latest decisions. It came against the backdrop of the leadership's decision to retain Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
A sizeable section of Congress workers and leaders had expected Channi to be given charge of the state unit, believing he was best placed to lead the party into the next Assembly elections. At the end of the deliberations, the leaders decided to give the Congress high command one week's time to address their concerns before considering the next course of action.
Around 23 former and sitting MLAs, four former ministers and several senior district-level leaders participated in the meeting. Among those present were former ministers Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and OP Soni. Former legislators Mohammad Sadique, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Tarsem Singh Attari, Harminder Singh Gill and several other party leaders also attended. Balkaur Singh, father of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, was also present at the gathering.
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However, senior Congress leaders Pargat Singh, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and former Assembly Speaker KP Rana were notably absent from the meeting. Following hours of discussion, the leaders resolved to constitute a committee that would take up the concerns of Punjab Congress workers with the party high command. They also authorised Channi to decide the future course of action on behalf of the group.
Former Punjab Youth Congress president Barinder Singh Dhillon said the committee would highlight unresolved organisational issues before the central leadership. "The feelings of party workers have not been reflected in the recent decisions. The committee will ensure these concerns are conveyed to the high command," he said.
Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa maintained that the group was not in confrontation with the Congress high command but wanted it to understand the prevailing mood within the state unit. "Many Congress leaders in Punjab are unhappy. We have decided to seek time from the party high command so that the actual situation in the state can be placed before it. We have no fight with the high command," Bajwa said.
Former MLA Harminder Singh Gill said the party leadership should have taken into account the sentiments of Punjab leaders before finalising crucial organisational appointments. Although Channi refrained from making any public remarks on the controversy throughout the day, his silence only added to speculation over his political strategy and future course within the party.
Several leaders at the meeting argued that Channi continued to be one of the Congress' strongest mass leaders in Punjab and that appointing him as PPCC chief would have infused fresh energy into the party cadre ahead of the Assembly elections. They maintained that his grassroots connect and experience as Chief Minister made him the most suitable choice to head the state organisation.
The developments have exposed clear fault lines within the Punjab Congress at a time when the party is trying to project unity and rebuild its organisational structure ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
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