The meeting at Channi’s residence in Morinda is widely seen as the first organised display of resentment against the party high command’s decisions
03 July, 2026 – Ropar : Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi put up a significant show of political strength today as nearly two dozen former and sitting Congress legislators, several former ministers and hundreds of party workers gathered at his residence in Morinda town of the Chamkaur Sahib Assembly constituency, signalling discontent within the Punjab unit of the Congress over the party’s recent organisational appointments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The meeting which ended around 3 pm is widely seen as the first organised display of resentment against the Congress high command’s decisions. This came in the backdrop of the leadership retaining Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
A large section of party workers and leaders had been expecting Channi to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the state unit.
The party leaders have given one week’s time to the party high command to resolve their concerns.
Around 23 former and sitting MLAs, four former ministers and several senior district-level leaders attended the meeting. Those present included former ministers Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and OP Soni, besides former legislators Mohammad Sadique, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Tarsem Singh Attari, Harminder Singh Gill and several other leaders. Balkaur Singh, father of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala, also attended the meeting.
Notably, senior Congress leaders Pargat Singh, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and former Speaker KP Rana did not attend the meeting.
After hours of deliberations, the leaders decided 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 raise 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 leaders had no confrontation with the Congress high command but wanted it to understand the prevailing sentiment in Punjab. “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 Congress leadership should have respected the sentiments of Punjab leaders before finalising key organisational appointments.
Although Channi refrained from making any public statement on the controversy during the day, his silence only fuelled speculation over his future political strategy.
Several leaders present at the meeting argued that Channi remained one of the party’s strongest mass leaders and that appointing him as PPCC president would have energised the cadre ahead of the Assembly elections. They contended that his grass-roots connect and experience as Chief Minister made him the natural choice to lead the organisation.
The developments have exposed visible fault lines within the Punjab Congress at a time when the party is attempting to project unity and rebuild its organisation before the Assembly elections. The formation of a committee to engage with the high command suggests that the dissenting leaders are, for now, seeking dialogue rather than confrontation. However, the show of strength at Channi’s residence has unmistakably underlined that a significant section of the party remains dissatisfied with the recent organisational appointments and wants the leadership to revisit its decisions before the election campaign gathers momentum.
The Tribune