Rift surfaces in Congress again as party revokes Phillaur MLA’s suspension

The Congress on Monday revoked the suspension of its Phillaur legislator Vikramjit S Chaudhary, almost 14 months after he was suspended for anti-party activities.

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The decision was announced in the presence of Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring during the party’s “Samvidhan Bachao Rally” at Dakha in Ludhiana.

The move is being seen in political circles as a counter to the rejoining of two leaders Kamaljit Karwal and Karan Warring, whose induction had not reportedly gone down well with the state Congress president. Warring is learnt to have taken a strong exception to their rejoining as these leaders had campaigned against him in the 2024 General Election, which the state party president had contested from Ludhiana and won.

The issue brought to the fore the rift in the party as former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who is currently Jalandhar MP, was instrumental in their induction.

A son of the late Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, Vikramjit was suspended ahead of the parliamentary polls last year when he had sought ticket for himself or his mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary from the family bastion. Since the party had announced the candidature of Channi, Vikramjit had issued several statements against it.

His mother had then joined the BJP and supported its candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku in the election. Channi, however, won the seat by a thumping margin.

On Monday, the rally, during which the decision to revoke the MLA’s suspension was announced, was attended by Gurdaspur Lok Sabha MP Sukhjinder Randhawa, among other leaders.

Randhawa asked Chaudhary to “stay loyal to the party”. Vikramjit said the decision was conveyed to him by Warring and the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa. He said that Bajwa had called him from the US. The MLA, however, did not clarify if his mother too would rejoin the Congress. “It is her decision,” he said. The Congress leaders avoided commenting over the differences in the party.

“It was Bajwa who had placed Chaudhary under suspension. He sent me orders of revoking of his suspension yesterday. I have only welcomed him back,” Warring said.