Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday criticised the Congress, claiming the party is busy dealing with internal conflicts instead of focusing on issues affecting the state ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Mann said Congress leaders are divided and continue to fight among themselves. He claimed the party is not discussing Punjab's key concerns and is instead occupied with internal disagreements. Mann also expressed confidence that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will return to power with a strong mandate in 2027.
Earlier in the day, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's supporters raised slogans during a public gathering in Bathinda, demanding that he be projected as the Congress party's chief ministerial candidate for the next Assembly elections.
The event was attended by Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, and Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
The sloganeering started while Raja Warring was addressing the gathering. In response, he invited one of the supporters to the stage and asked him to call Charanjit Singh Channi directly.
Supporters repeatedly urged the Congress leadership to officially declare Channi as the party's face for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls. Amid the protests, some supporters were also seen lifting chairs, creating a brief disturbance.
The incident highlighted growing competition within the Punjab Congress over leadership and the party's direction ahead of the next state elections.
As the protest continued, Raja Warring tried to calm the crowd and appealed for unity within the party. He defended the Congress leadership while Channi's supporters continued pressing their demand for a bigger role for the former chief minister.
Meanwhile, Congress legislators led by Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa staged a protest outside the Punjab Assembly during the Monsoon Session. They accused the AAP government of failing to prevent repeated examination paper leaks and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.
Bajwa alleged that six major exam paper leaks had taken place in the last four-and-a-half years, affecting nearly 3.5 lakh students. He also criticised the government over recruitment, law and order, and overall administration.
Bajwa claimed the government had failed to address serious issues facing the state. He accused the administration of trying to hide information related to government jobs and alleged that the state's governance system, including the police machinery, had weakened under the current government.
At the same time, major political parties, including the AAP, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, have started preparing for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party had secured a landslide victory in the 2022 Assembly elections, ending Congress rule in Punjab and forming its first government in the state.
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