Jalandhar, May 30, 2026-
Despite a stern public warning from Rahul Gandhi to the Punjab Congress leadership just a few months ago, the factionalism within the party appears far from over. On the contrary, the latest high-level meeting convened by the Congress high command to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections seems to have exposed and intensified internal divisions instead of resolving them.
Most senior leaders in the Punjab Congress, barring a few exceptions, appear unwilling to change course and continue to undermine one another, often at the cost of the party’s image and electoral prospects.
The meeting, convened by Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi, was intended to iron out differences and strategise for the future. However, the deliberations reportedly turned tense, with some of the five invited Punjab leaders engaging in verbal exchanges in the presence of the party leadership.
The most dramatic development came when Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa reportedly walked out midway through the meeting, even as discussions regarding the party’s future strategy were still underway.
The development immediately triggered political speculation and raised serious questions about the level of cohesion within the state unit. Briefing the media after the meeting, Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel appeared visibly uncomfortable while responding to questions regarding Bajwa’s abrupt departure, indirectly reflecting the unease generated by the incident.
Bajwa later clarified that he had not “walked out” of the meeting, but had sought permission from the senior leadership to return to Punjab after presenting his views before Rahul Gandhi and Kharge. According to him, he had to rush back because the nomination process for four civic elections in Punjab was beginning and polling was scheduled for June 13.
While Bajwa’s supporters described it as a “genuine emergency”, rival factions within the party dismissed the explanation as an attempt at damage control. Critics argued that the beginning of nomination filing for local body elections could hardly outweigh the importance of a crucial meeting with the Congress high command.
The incident has once again brought back memories of Rahul Gandhi’s strong warning to Punjab Congress leaders during a public rally in Barnala on February 28 this year. Sharing the stage with Kharge, Rahul had openly cautioned faction-ridden leaders to function as a united team.
“Be a team player, or we will put you in reserve… no matter how big you are, no one is bigger than the party,” Rahul had declared, adding that if infighting continued, he and Kharge would “fix” the Punjab unit.
However, Friday’s developments suggest that the message may have had little impact.
Meanwhile, the meeting also sent out a clear political signal regarding the leadership issue in Punjab Congress. Bhupesh Baghel informed reporters that Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring would continue to lead the state unit till the Assembly elections. Earlier too, Congress general secretary K. C. Venugopal had ruled out any immediate change in leadership.
The “status quo” decision comes despite growing murmurs within sections of the party demanding a leadership change. Leaders opposed to Raja Warring have been alleging that he is “compromised” due to issues already in the public domain and may not be able to lead the party effectively in what many consider a “do-or-die” election in 2027.
Sources suggest that some leaders attempted to raise concerns over the party’s performance in recent civic polls and indirectly targeted colleagues who failed to deliver results in their respective areas, leading to heated exchanges during the meeting.
Political observers believe the episode may have left Bajwa in an awkward position. Senior Congress leaders privately admit that leaving the meeting while Rahul Gandhi and Kharge were still presiding over it could prove politically costly.
“Walking out midway while the high command was still chairing the meeting may turn out to be a serious political miscalculation,” a senior party leader remarked.
Bajwa, however, is not the first Punjab Congress leader to face friction with the central leadership. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi too had earlier found himself in uncomfortable situations despite being considered close to Rahul Gandhi. Channi had reportedly declined an organisational assignment at the national level offered by the party and later publicly raised issues concerning Dalit representation, despite having been elevated as Chief Minister and projected as the Congress face in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Insiders also believe the structure of Friday’s meeting itself contributed to resentment within the party. The meeting was held shortly after the BJP replaced Sunil Kumar Jakhar with another former Congressman-turned-BJP leader Kewal Singh Dhillon as Punjab BJP chief.
Only five Punjab leaders — Raja Warring, Partap Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Vijay Inder Singla — were invited to the deliberations, leaving out several MPs and senior leaders.
According to party insiders, this exclusion did not go down well with many influential leaders. Names being discussed include Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Faridkot MP Amar Singh, Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi, Kapurthala MLA and former MP Rana Gurjeet Singh, former Olympian-turned-politician Pargat Singh and former minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
“There is a feeling among several leaders that they were deliberately sidelined from an important strategy meeting,” a party source said.
It is no secret within Punjab Congress that Raja Warring and Partap Singh Bajwa share a strained political relationship. While the Warring camp believes he should continue leading the party and emerge as the chief ministerial face in 2027, Bajwa supporters argue that his seniority and experience make him better suited for the role.
At the same time, there are others within the Congress who believe the party needs a complete organisational overhaul and fresh leadership be drawn from experienced faces capable of reviving the demoralised state unit.
For now, however, the meeting that was expected to project unity has instead highlighted the deep-rooted divisions within Punjab Congress. Rather than strengthening the organisation, it has publicly exposed the party’s internal fault lines, making it increasingly clear that the road ahead for the Congress in Punjab remains uncertain and challenging.
HS Bawa can be reached at editoryespunjab@gmail.com
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