A conflict over caste representation has surfaced within the Punjab Congress. The friction, which centres on the balance between Dalit and Jat Sikh influence, was triggered by a remark by former Chief Minister and current Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi.
During a meeting of the Punjab Congress's Scheduled Caste (SC) wing last Saturday, Channi reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of "adequate representation" for Dalits within the party hierarchy.
Channi pointed out that the majority of key positions - including the State President, the Leader of the Opposition, and the heads of the student and women's wings - are currently held by Jat Sikh leaders. While Dalit leaders at the meeting reportedly chanted slogans in support of his statement, no video of the closed-door incident has been released.
Responding to the remarks, Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring issued a measured but firm rebuttal. While maintaining that internal meetings are private, Warring highlighted the party's support for Channi, a Dalit.
He had lost elections in two assembly constituencies, yet the party fielded him in the Lok Sabha elections from Jalandhar, which he won, he said.
He further noted that Channi was appointed as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by replacing Sunil Jakhar and remains a permanent member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). "The Congress is a secular party; it does not make decisions based on caste or religion," Warring added, dismissing the claim of under-representation.
As the controversy escalated, Charanjit Singh Channi issued a fresh statement on Monday to clarify his stance, attempting to distance himself from allegations of "casteist" politics.
"I am grateful to the party for the positions given to me. My words should not be linked to casteism; any such propaganda is false," Channi stated. He pivoted to his current work as the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, highlighting his advocacy for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and farmers' rights.
"I have always stood with the farmers and labourers. During my tenure as Chief Minister, I refused to allow firing or lathi-charges on farmers. Punjab is like a bouquet of flowers with various communities. If the party functions as a bouquet and gives representation to all sections, the government will return, and we will do good for everyone," he added.
While Channi has sought to frame his remarks as a call for "inclusive representation," the episode has exposed a delicate fault line in the Punjab Congress.
