New Delhi/Chandigarh, July 9
In a stinging rebuke to former Punjab Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, who has openly revolted against PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the AICC has warned him to fall in line or face ‘disciplinary action’. Reprimanding Channi for questioning Warring’s appointment, the party high command conveyed that his revolt amounts to brazen defiance of Rahul Gandhi — a transgression that will invite grave consequences.
The AICC’s fury was unmistakable. Channi, who sought an audience with Rahul Gandhi, was bluntly told: “What you have done is gross indiscipline. While Punjab Congress in‑charge Bhupesh Baghel is on a five‑day tour of the state, you are busy convening parallel meetings. This is intolerable. Mend your ways, approach Baghel at once, and apologise.”
Meanwhile, sources close to Rahul told The News Gateway that he was livid over the spectacle engineered by Channi just months before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha polls. “Rahul personally called Bhupesh Baghel yesterday and directed him to deliver an unambiguous message to Punjab Congress leaders — the AICC’s appointments are final and non‑negotiable. Anyone indulging in anti‑party activity in any form will be summarily shown the door,” said one of Rahul’s closest confidants.
Following these developments, Channi’s anti‑Warring campaign has collapsed, leaving his loyalists scrambling for cover from the high command’s wrath. AICC has delivered a blunt ultimatum to Channi: if the party could elevate him to Chief Minister, it can just as swiftly “expel” him from Congress for gross indiscipline and defiance of its orders.
In the aftermath, Channi has not only softened his stance but has also assured the high command that Rahul Gandhi is the supreme authority — and that he will unquestioningly abide by party directives. Meanwhile, insiders reveal that a handful of senior leaders, including former Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who once rallied behind Channi, have already abandoned ship, leaving his camp fractured and exposed to the high command’s wrath.
Sources close to Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal revealed that Rahul Gandhi has now imposed a strict discipline code: “Any Congress leader defying party orders will be dealt with an iron hand — and expulsion from the party will be the inevitable outcome.”
Meanwhile, speaking to The News Gateway, PPCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring reiterated, “The entire Punjab Congress is united under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjuna Kharge. Now, our prime objective is only to work hard as a dedicated team in order to put up the best performance in next year’s state elections and form the Congress government.”