Slogans, scuffles mar 10-day Cong campaign in Ludhiana dist

The 10-day campaign led by Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, which was intended to showcase organisational strength, instead turned into a spectacle of factional clashes.

The Ludhiana district became the epicentre of discord, with slogan-raising, scuffles and open defiance against party leadership. The 10-day visit of Baghel ended on Saturday with a programme at Khanna.

In Ludhiana, supporters of Bharat Bhushan Ashu raised slogans, prompting Warring to brand them as ‘RSS-backed’. The confrontation deepened existing divides, with workers openly displaying posters bearing ‘Go Back Bhupesh Baghel’ and even wearing T-shirts with the slogan.

The unrest was not confined to Ludhiana. In Malerkotla, rival factions clashed on stage and the dispute escalated to scuffles and the police had to intervene to separate the groups by using batons.

In Khanna, a section of party workers raised slogans in support of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Attempts were made to restrain the protesting workers after which the group walked out of the meeting.

All these incidents highlighted how factionalism has seeped into smaller districts, undermining the party’s grassroots credibility.

Political experts caution that the visible infighting, from Ludhiana to Malerkotla and Khanna, has weakened the Congress’s organisational framework.

A senior leader while commenting upon the recent incidents said instead of strengthening booths, Baghel’s campaign had left them fractured and it could pose a serious threat ahead of the 2027 state Assembly elections.

“Repeated clashes during meetings have sent a damaging message to voters that Congress leaders are more focused on internal power struggles than public issues,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Surinder Dawar after the incident occurred during the campaign in Ludhiana said disrupting the party programme was not in good taste. “If there are some personal differences between any leaders, they should sit together with the party high command and solve it rather than creating a scene like that.