New Delhi, April 5: Internal discord within the Punjab Congress resurfaced as a group of senior party leaders met Bhupesh Baghel, the AICC incharge for the state, in New Delhi on Thursday to raise concerns over state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa.
According to party sources, the meeting—attended by Punjab Congress vice-presidents Pargat Singh, Khushaldeep Dhillon, Inderbir Bolaria, working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and former minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa—centered around grievances of exclusion from decision-making and the issuance of a show-cause notice to Dhillon.
The notice, served to Dhillon over his remarks during a television interview, sparked fresh discontent. “He said nothing against the party. The notice was unwarranted,” a source familiar with the discussion said.
Ashu, who is contesting the Ludhiana (West) bypoll and faces corruption charges, expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of support from the state leadership during his legal troubles. Pargat Singh is also said to have raised concerns about Bajwa’s functioning.
Warring, however, played down the episode. “The senior leaders met Baghel not against me, but to strengthen the party,” he told reporters. He declined to elaborate on the notice, calling it “an internal party matter.”
The meeting comes shortly after Baghel attempted to reconcile differences among state leaders in a discussion marked by sharp exchanges before the Punjab Budget session. Earlier, senior leader Rana Gurjeet Singh had publicly criticized Warring and signaled willingness to take over the party reins, but Baghel dismissed speculation about any leadership change.
