Bathinda/Muktsar: The impact of factionalism in Punjab Congress is reaching the next level, seemingly causing divisions among the party workers, divided into warring factions. The fact came to the fore on Monday at Bathinda and Muktsar, where the act of factionalism ranged from raising slogans to putting up posters and banners asking Bhupesh Baghel to go back, to asking Rahul Gandhi to listen to the cry of Punjabis: Bring Channi, let’s form a Congress govt.It (factionalism) was further cemented when, irked over some activists raising slogans in favour of ex- chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi at the Congress campaign ‘Har Booth Congress Majboot’ at Bathinda, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called one of the youths to the stage and handed him the mic, asking him to raise slogans in favour of Channi.When the youth raised slogans in favour of Channi, Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party, Raja Warring asked the youth, “Channi Saab da number haiga taan number mila ate puchhna mai naare laga ditte hai congress de programme vich gadbad karna Chauhanda haan oh kahenge na congress de programme ch gadbad ni karni, chal koi gal ni Channi saab bust honge kal call kar lenge, mainu call kar lei main chak lavanga” (whether he had the mobile number of Channi and asked him to call Channi. When the youth called Channi, Warring asked him to tell Channi that I have raised slogans and wanted to disturb the Congress programme and Channi will surely say not to disturb the Congress programme).When Channi did not reply to the call, Warring asked the youth to call again and when Channi did not pick up again, Warring, in a taunting way, said Channi might be busy and might call him tomorrow and asked party functionary Kulbir Singh Zira to give his (Warring) mobile number to the youth,who could call him when he had a word with Channi, and Warring would pick up his call.At this, the activists present hooted, seemingly in support of Warring, and Warring asked the youth to go off the stage.This was the third consecutive day when factionalism marred the programme with sloganeering. It happened at Patiala and Sangrur on Aug 1, and Barnala and Mansa on Aug 2. Perturbed over the continuous sloganeering, Warring had himself raised slogans in favour of Channi and others, showing that raising slogans in favour of the ex- CM was not bad.The factionalism took another turn at Muktsar, the native district of Raja Warring, when banners surfaced at Kotkapura road in Muktsar where Chhattisgarh’s former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel was shown in a general- like outfit with medals on the chest and wearing a hat with graffiti reading Go Back Baghel. A couple of flexes were also spotted,reading Raja-Baghel hatao Congress bachao (remove Raja-Baghel, save Congress). The Go Back Baghel banner was later removed.Later, speaking to the media persons, Raja Warring said that he would not resign under pressure from sloganeering. If the party high command snatches the post from him, he will not feel angry and will not leave the party but will work hard for the welfare of the party as a party member as he has been doing over the last 4 years as state Congress president. During his presidency, he ensured that 7 party candidates won in the 2024 parliamentary elections, said Warring.
