Fearing defections, the Congress high command has postponed action against Punjab party leaders over defection concerns. Sources on Monday claimed that infighting between party members once again came out in the open in recent days.
Party workers favouring former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi raised slogans during party events in Sangrur and Barnala amid growing rift speculations between the two factions.
Channi’s supporters demand the recognition of their leaders as the face of the Punjab Congress and chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming assembly polls scheduled for early next year.
The rift came out in public after the Congress high command named Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the state unit chief ahead of the state elections.
Party leaders favouring Channi, including Sukhjinder Randhawa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, have abstained from party programmes and been organising parallel events.
Following their recent protest at Faridkot against the alleged beatdown of sanitation workers at Barnala, Channi and other leaders are going to Ferozepur tomorrow to honour the party leaders who won the municipal elections.
A senior leader said there was more to the repeated pattern of raising pro-Channi slogans at different events.
“The ongoing dissent is likely to damage the Channi camp that had been asked to lie low for a few days. Giving an impression to the opposition Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP that the party is divided at a time when the Punjab monsoon assembly session is likely to begin tomorrow will prove to hamper Channi’s reputation,” a source informed reporters on Monday.
Congress is concerned and frustrated at the same time, since this ongoing rift over power politics is set to deal a blow if the tensions do not subside in the near future.
The Congress leadership is particularly concerned that some of its candidates might be approached by the BJP in case a bad impression continues to grow further.
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