NEW DELHI: Congress has roped in poll strategist Naresh Arora to bring the warring factions of its Punjab unit together ahead of the Assembly polls.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amarinder Raja Warring and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi are trying to reconcile differences, with Naresh Arora playing a key role in the efforts.
According to sources, Channi and Warring held a secret meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, which MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also attended.
This was the first time that Channi and Warring held formal talks after the announcement of the new Punjab Congress team ahead of the assembly elections.
On July 1, the Congress leadership decided to continue with Warring as the state president. Channi was given charge of the campaign committee and Randhawa was made the head of the core committee. But several Punjab Congress MLAs and former candidates, led by Channi and Randhawa, opened a front to remove Warring.
To douse the fire, Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel camped in Chandigarh for a week. Organisation general secretary KC Venugopal then called angry leaders, including Channi and Randhawa, to Delhi and advised them to maintain discipline. Following this, Channi declared that he was with the decision of the party high command.
Later, all senior leaders of the Punjab Congress attended a meeting called by Venugopal at the party headquarters, “Indira Bhavan”. Channi and Warring sat side by side and the party claimed that the dispute had been resolved.
But according to informed sources, Channi and Warring are not even on talking terms and the truce looks more like a photo-op.
On Monday, Punjab Congress MPs led by Warring staged a protest in the Parliament House complex demanding the resignation of the state education minister. Channi and Randhawa were missing from the protest.
