Charanjit Singh Channi’s open defiance against the party high command has come as a surprise to everyone. It is difficult to make out what prompted and provoked him to start a rebellion when he was commanding a much better position within the party than everyone else. In the final reshuffle, Channi was appointed Chairman of the Campaign Committee, an important position during the elections. Besides, he, being the only active former Chief Minister in the party and also a Dalit, stood better chances to be the frontrunner once the party had to decide about the Chief Ministerial candidate. This may not be the case anymore. No party rewards defiance and rebellion. Channi is guilty of both.
Electoral Success Strengthened Warring
It is a fact that after being in the saddle for over four and a half years, the incumbent president, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, has got several rivals in the party. This is because his record during this tenure has not been bad. He has managed to keep the party and the cadres vibrant. Besides, the party with him being the state president performed far better than others in the 2024 parliamentary elections in Punjab. The Congress won seven of the 13 seats, while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party could win just 3. Warring himself won from Ludhiana, unseating the two-time MP and his friend turned foe Ravneet Singh Bittu, who joined the BJP, by a close margin.
Why Congress Stayed With Warring
It is not that the party high command has any special fondness for Warring that it overruled each of his detractors and let him continue. He has proved himself to be a better performer. The state is already in election mode. Hardly about six more months are left for the crucial state assembly elections. No party would change its leader at this stage, even when everything is going smoothly. There is nothing as such against Warring, except that quite a few senior leaders, who belong to the earlier generation, cannot tolerate him as the leader. They have strong apprehensions that in the event of the party winning the elections, he will be a strong claimant for the Chief Ministerial chair. The only argument of his detractors against him is that “the party cannot win under his leadership”, without citing a reason.
The High Command’s Clear Stand
Warring has repeatedly reaffirmed and reiterated that he is not in the race for the Chief Ministerial position. The party high command has also repeatedly made it categorically clear that there is not going to be any Chief Ministerial face in Punjab ahead of the elections. In fact, Chief Ministerial candidates are rarely announced in advance. The standard procedure is that the elected MLAs choose their leader. Capt Amarinder Singh was the only exception, whom the Congress had announced as the Chief Ministerial candidate in 2012 and 2017.
A Political Miscalculation
When Channi was designated as the Chairman of the Campaign Committee, it was a clear message that he was very much in reckoning for the Chief Ministerial job. Given the caste sensitivities involved and also given the 2022 reaction, the Congress appeared to play it safe this time and leave it open. It is surprising how Channi failed to understand and appreciate it himself. He was apparently influenced by those who thought that they had lost in the race for leadership and he bit the bait and “led from the front” and not for the right reasons and right cause.
Why the Revolt Is Unlikely to Succeed
Changing the PPCC president at this stage and under these circumstances is out of the question. This leaves Channi in an unenviable situation. Having raised the banner of revolt, his backing down without deriving any bargain will weaken his position. After all, he is not like Capt Amarinder, who used the same tactics in 2015 and forced the party to change Partap Singh Bajwa. Amarinder had a far higher stature and also a lot of time at his disposal. Channi has neither of the two. Moreover, the party’s high command has a peculiar way of doing things and breaking rebellions. Most of the leaders who “rallied behind” Channi initially must have, by now, been approached by the party high command using both “carrot and stick” to make them fall in line. At the end, Channi may be left alone. And this is most likely to happen sooner than later. He is not a mass leader who can swing votes and make people win or lose. In the 2022 assembly elections, despite being the sitting Chief Minister, he lost in both the assembly segments he contested from.
Zero Tolerance for Indiscipline
For the Congress high command also, it is important to convey a clear and stringent message at the earliest that there is zero tolerance for indiscipline, no matter what price it has to pay. The party must nip this evil of indiscipline in the bud and start preparing for the crucial elections. If the high command succumbs and surrenders in Punjab, there will be no end to it. This will set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country.
(Views expressed are personal.)
