Congress leader Pargat Singh has rejected reports of factionalism in Punjab Congress. He said that differences of opinion are part of democracy and there are no factions in the party. He said the party leadership would resolve any grievance.
New Delhi [भारत]July 7 (ANI): Congress leader Pargat Singh on Tuesday rejected reports of factionalism within the Punjab Congress. He said differences of opinion are part of democracy and will be resolved through internal discussions.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said there is no faction within the party and the media is portraying even normal interactions between leaders as a sign of infighting. “First of all, there is no faction. Nowadays, even if someone has tea with someone, it is made a part of politics, saying it is a faction. There is nothing like that… difference of opinion is democracy,” he said.
‘This is not factionalism, this is democracy’
He said there is internal democracy in the Congress, unlike the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) where, according to him, leaders do not express dissent publicly. He said, “This is not in BJP. If you talk about BJP, not even a leaf moves without Amit Shah and Modi. I do not consider it a democracy. No one can speak without Kejriwal in the Aam Aadmi Party. But for the real picture of democracy, there should be internal democracy. Yes, sometimes we speak too much.”
He further said, “Today, Punjab stands at a juncture where we need to provide better governance to take the state forward. There is no scope for experiments with the state.”
On whether the issue would be resolved during the visit of the party’s Punjab in-charge, Singh said the Congress leadership would resolve any grievance. “The in-charge meets everyone and should meet everyone. If there are any complaints, that’s why the system is there. I think he will definitely address them, and so will the high command,” he said.
Sounds of rebellion under Channi’s leadership
The controversy escalated further on July 4 when former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi called an important meeting at his home in Morinda. Many senior leaders like Bharat Bhushan Ashu participated in this meeting and raised the alarm of rebellion against Waring.
The leaders demanded Waring’s removal as Punjab Congress president and projected Channi as the person to lead the party in the elections. The leaders urged the party high command to reconsider the recent organizational appointments made in Punjab, and asserted that the party will return to power under Channi’s leadership.
Earlier, senior Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday had posted a photo of several Congress leaders with former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, indicating that it was the Charanjit Channi-led faction of the state unit.
Protest against ban on film ‘Sutlej’
Meanwhile, speaking on the removal of the film ‘Sutlej’ from an OTT platform, Singh opposed the move and said that films depicting alleged human rights violations should not be banned. He said, “If such things do not come on public platform, how will there be reform? This film is based on real events. It should never be banned. It should be watched so that people learn how power should be used and not misused.”
Drawing comparisons with films like ‘The Kerala Story’, the Congress leader alleged that while such films were promoted, ‘Sutlej’ was sidelined even though it dealt with what he described as “real time” events.
‘Sutlej’, which faced a delay of over three years, was removed from the OTT platform amid the growing controversy. ZEE5 confirmed in an official statement that the film will remain unavailable in India until further notice, and said it is exploring options to bring it back to audiences. The move sparked widespread reactions from celebrities and politicians. (ANI)
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