Patiala, Aug 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Factionalism within the Punjab Congress over the leadership came out in the open, with party workers raising slogans in support of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, amid the presence of party's General Secretary In-charge, Bhupesh Baghel.
At the time of sloganeering on Saturday, State Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was addressing a 'Harr Booth Mazboot' programme here.
As Warring began his speech, Channi's supporters started raising slogans like "Charanjit Singh Channi Zindabad" and "Channi Liyao, Punjab Bachao".
Despite his repeated appeals to maintain discipline, Channi supporters disrupted proceedings of the district Congress programme.
The pandemonium indicated continuation of factionalism between Channi and Warring that erupted after the Congress high command re-appointed the latter as the party's state unit chief.
Channi's camp with more than 90 leaders, comprising the members of Parliament and legislators, has been demanding the replacement of the party's state unit chief by citing specific instances on how Warring had created divisions within the party leadership.
They also gave an ultimatum to the central leadership last month to take replace Channi, the Congress MP from Jalandhar and a prominent Dalit face, saying that under Warring's leadership, the Congress cannot come to power.
In another event in Sangrur town, activists of both camps clashed in the presence of Baghel and Warring and other senior leaders.
Addressing the party workers of Patiala, AICC General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel said Chief Minister and other Ministers, if the Congress gets mandate in the forthcoming Assembly elections, will be chosen by the party high command, including President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
He said the duty of the Congress leaders and workers is to ensure the victory of the party as Punjab "needs to be saved from the misrule of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government".
State Congress President Warring expressed the wish to see the Congress Chief Minister and Ministers taking oath while he would be watching from the audience.
Addressing the 'Harr Booth Mazboot' programme for the Patiala district here on Saturday, Baghel exhorted the party workers to unite and fight the "corrupt and incompetent AAP" and the "fascist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)".
He said the elections might be preponed and even if these are held on schedule in February, they are not very far off either.
Emphasising the importance of micromanagement at the booth level, Baghel said once the party is strong at the booth level nobody can defeat it.
He added that for the first time it is going to be a five-cornered contest in Punjab among the Congress, AAP, the BJP and multiple factions of the Akalis.
Baghel cautioned the Congress workers against the rumour mongering by the BJP and AAP, saying both have expertise in it, adding it was the duty of every Congressman to counter their fake and false propaganda.
Asserting that the workers were the backbone of the party, party's General Secretary In-charge noted that is why Rahul Gandhi described party workers as lions and not the leaders.
"Most important, the booth worker is the frontline and foot soldier of the party," Baghel said, adding the Congress workers must list the party's achievements and the failures of the BJP at the Centre and the AAP in the state.
He said Punjab was faced with a double whammy at the hands of the Central and the state governments.
He added that the law and order had completely collapsed in Punjab and nobody was feeling safe.
He said ransoms were demanded at liberty and people were killed without any fear of law.
Baghel reminded Punjabis how the BJP's troll army maligned them during the farmers' agitation in which 700 farmers lost their lives.
He recalled how the BJP troll army would described the protesters as "anti-nationals" and "Khalistanis".
He also asked the Congress workers not to underestimate the power of social media, saying how Prime Minister Narendra Modi was made to bow for the first time in 12 years and make his Minister (referring to former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) resign.
Source: IANS
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