Morinda, July 3: The internal rift within the Punjab Congress appeared to deepen on Friday as a large number of senior party leaders and MLAs gathered at former Chief Minister and MP Charanjit Singh Channi’s residence in Morinda, in what is being seen as a major show of strength amid growing factionalism within the state unit.
According to sources, the meeting was convened at Channi’s invitation and was attended by several prominent Congress leaders, including O. P. Soni, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Barinder Singh Dhillon, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Mohammad Sadiq, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Darshan Singh Brar, Tarsem Singh Attari, Kamaljit Singh Karwal, Harminder Singh Gill, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Davinder Singh Ghubaya, Inderbir Singh Bularia, Ramanjeet Singh Sikki, Lakhbir Singh Lakha, Bawa Henry, Madan Lal Jalalpur, Joginder Pal and Rana Gurjeet Singh.
The development comes at a time when the Punjab Congress is witnessing visible factionalism, with different camps holding separate meetings and asserting their influence ahead of crucial political decisions.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who earlier in the day met the Union Home Minister, expressed his reservations over the Morinda meeting. Speaking to the media, Randhawa said such a gathering “should not have happened,” adding that several meetings had already taken place earlier and there was no need for another parallel exercise.
Political observers believe the parallel meetings underscore the widening divisions within the Punjab Congress, with multiple power centres emerging inside the party. The Morinda gathering is likely to intensify speculation over internal leadership equations and future organisational changes.
With senior leaders increasingly aligning with different factions, the Congress faces the challenge of maintaining unity and presenting a cohesive front. The coming days are expected to be crucial in determining whether the party leadership can contain the growing infighting or whether the latest developments mark a deeper organisational crisis in Punjab.