Reprieve for Cong as both factions unite ahead of Aug 28 rally

The unity between the two warring factions of the Congress after their meeting with Rahul Gandhi has come as a huge relief for the District Congress Committee which is set to hold a Samvidhan Bachao rally on August 28 here.

While the rally has been held in almost all districts of Punjab, it was being dilly dallied in Jalandhar since the leaders were wary of one faction going missing from the event and causing a dent to party's image yet again. The differences between the two factions - with Raja Warring, LoP Partap Bajwa, MP Sukhjinder Randhawa, organisational secretary Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Phillaur MLA VIkramjit Chaudhary and Jalandhar North MLA Bawa Henry on one side, and Jalandhar MP Charanjit S Channi, ex-ministers Rana Gurjeet Singh, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Pargat Singh and MLA Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia on the other.

The DCC was under pressure from Warring's faction to hold a rally in Jalandhar for all nine Assembly segments. The venue for it has been fixed at White Diamond Resort on 66-feet road, which falls in Pargat's Jalandhar Cantt Assembly seat.

All MLAs and halqa in-charges from either faction have been directed by the high command to make it to the event. The local leaders said they were now much relieved. "Earlier, we were not sure who all will turn up. But after we saw a picture of leaders of both sides standing united, we are now clear that things will move on the right track and there shall be no attacks and counter-attacks from either side as had been seen earlier", said a senior party leader who stands neutral between the two sides.

The fissures between the two factions had sharpened during the recent Ludhiana West byelection from where Warring was largely asked to remain away and the charge was handled by the group of Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Pargat Singh. "But now after yesterday's photo-op, if the Congress is able to maintain its united image only then it shall be able to achieve its Mission 2027", said a political observer.