The Indian Express ·
Politics
Sachin Pilot’s first Punjab test: Channi, Warring bury hatchet — for now — to take on AAP
For Punjab Congress workers, it was the picture they had been waiting for: Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, bitter rivals in the state unit, seated on either side of newly appointed party in-charge Sachin Pilot at a protest rally in Chandigarh Tuesday.
The optics were unmistakably political: Pilot’s first visit to Punjab after taking charge, and the two leaders who have been at odds over the state party leadership sharing the stage and publicly promising to fight the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government together.
But a handshake between Channi and Warring offered a glimpse of the uneasy truce beneath the show of unity. Warring reached out with a smile; Channi responded without one, looking towards the crowd. For the moment, however, both leaders kept the differences aside in their speeches, joining Pilot in an aggressive attack on the Bhagwant Mann government.
The rally, organised to demand the removal of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the alleged suicide of Dalit labourer Gulzar Singh in Sangrur, also served as Pilot’s first test of his ability to bring together the rival factions ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Channi welcomed Pilot as a “new hope” for Punjab and launched a blistering attack on Mann and his government, accusing it of corruption, mistreating Dalits, confronting the Akal Takht and failing to address the grievances of farmers and government employees. “You have dared to face off against Sri Akal Takht Sahib. You are ‘Guru Dokhi’, ‘Panth Virodhi’. You mistreat Dalits, you have not returned the trolleys of farmers till now, you have not released DA of employees till date. You will be dragged from your house to the police station,” Channi said.
Referring to Gulzar Singh’s death, alleged attacks on safai karamcharis and government employees and the alleged demand for a bribe to settle a rape case, Channi demanded Cheema’s resignation.
“We will avenge all this from you one day,” he said, targeting Mann. “We will fight together. We will get justice for Punjab and we will make ‘Kale Angrez’ like Kejriwal run away from Punjab.”
Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa demanded an immediate FIR against Cheema, his arrest and dismissal from the Cabinet. Describing the Mann government as “corrupt and a government of gangsters”, Randhawa said corruption had “reached the home of Bhagwant Mann”.
He also targeted AAP working president Sherry Kalsi, referring to the suicide of a retired inspector in Shahkot who, he said, had levelled allegations against the AAP leader.
Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh congratulated Pilot for bringing the state’s rival factions onto one platform and said leaders and workers would work together to defeat the AAP in the 2027 elections.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, too, sought to put the leadership question on the back burner. Referring to reports of a tussle over who would lead the Congress into the 2027 polls, Bajwa said the immediate priority was to win a majority. “When Congress leaders go among the people, they tell us they want to bring the party to power, but everyone should first get together. You (Pilot) have done that today,” Bajwa said.
“The decision whom to appoint to lead will be taken by the high command. When the father is still around, the brothers cannot take charge of the situation. We all must work together and bring the party to power in 2027. In 2029, we will strive to see Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of India,” he said.
Warring, meanwhile, sought to reinforce the unity message, referring to Channi and other senior leaders as his “pagg da lar” — the fold of his turban.
The show of unity comes against the backdrop of months of factional tension. Channi was appointed chairperson of the party’s campaign committee on July 1, while Warring was retained as Punjab Congress president. Channi’s supporters subsequently sought Warring’s removal and accused the earlier party in-charge, Bhupesh Baghel, of favouring the state unit chief. Channi and Randhawa had also stayed away from several Warring-led party programmes since July.
Pilot, who replaced Baghel as Punjab in-charge, therefore had the task of not merely leading an anti-government protest but also getting the rival factions onto the same platform.
Speaking to reporters later, Pilot said the Punjab government could not suppress Congress workers through police action.
“If any government or a CM has a misconception that with the use of water cannons or police batons, they can suppress the people of Punjab and Congress workers, then I would humbly say that they should get rid of that misconception,” he said.
On Gulzar Singh’s death, Pilot said the circumstances surrounding it should have been investigated. He referred to the alleged dying declaration naming Cheema and questioned why the Finance Minister’s name was not in the FIR.
“The matter is clear, Gulzar Singh committed suicide. We felt sad. Why he committed suicide, the reason would have come after investigation. He mentioned the name in the dying declaration; there can’t be bigger evidence in courts,” Pilot said.
He alleged that the government had rushed through the final rites and said there could not be “two laws” in the case.
Pilot also took a swipe at Mann for describing the issue as a “small story”, saying he was saddened by the Chief Minister’s remark.
