Sachin Pilot with Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring during a protest to demand justice for the late Gulzar Singh in Chandigarh on Tuesday. NEW DELHI: The Congress in Punjab has finally hit the ground running.
Sachin Pilot, who replaced Bhupesh Baghel as the party’s state in-charge, successfully navigated the state unit out of months of internal turmoil and ensured the party’s campaign for the 2027 assembly elections could finally take off. With arch-rivals - former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Raja Warring - on board, Pilot led a mega protest demanding the resignation of Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema, who faces charges of abetment of suicide of a Dalit, Gulzar Singh.
The entire state leadership and thousands of party workers marched towards Cheema’s residence. Police used water cannons to stop the protesters’ march.
But the point was made. The Congress was finally in action mode.
Pilot ensured that Channi and Warring, whose open power tussle has derailed Congress’s Punjab campaign, not only shared the stage but also did a “tense” handshake. Putting up a huge show of unity during the protest, Channi said, " We will fight together."
Warring reciprocated. The state Congress chief called Channi and other leaders his 'pagg da lar' (the fold of his turban).
Expressing gratitude to party workers for mobilising in such huge numbers at short notice, Pilot assured each one of them that the Congress will always stand by them. The Congress in-charge assured party workers that he was the representative of the high command and would not leave any stone unturned to restore the dignity and honour of every Congress worker.
But will Pilot’s truce hold? That’s the big question.
The Punjab Congress has seen a no-holds-barred battle between Channi and Warring ever since the high command announced on July 1 that Warring would continue as Punjab Congress chief, ignoring Channi’s claims. The announcement triggered immediate protests from Channi’s supporters.
They demanded that Channi should be projected as the party’s CM face in the assembly elections. What followed left the Congress leadership red-faced.
From war or words to slogan-shouting at party meetings, the wide split in the state unit was out in the open. The Congress sent Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel to firefight, but he was also singed in the crossfire.
