In Punjab, Congress leaders were detained today. AICC general secretary Sachin Pilot, state Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Wading and various party leaders were detained by the police on Tuesday when they were protesting demanding the removal of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in connection with the alleged suicide of a Dalit man. The protesters, demanding an independent investigation into the incident, tried to march towards Cheema’s official residence and forcibly cross the barricades, but were sprayed with water.
Several protesters, including senior leader Kuljit Nagra, were injured.
The Congress claimed that several protesters, including senior leader Kuljit Nagra, were injured due to the impact of the water cannons. Gulzar Singh, a resident of Didba in Sangrur district, died allegedly after consuming poison on September 7. His family has alleged that Singh was tortured and subjected to casteist slurs for asking Cheema questions about drug smuggling in his locality during an event in Didba.
Unity seen in Punjab Congress
During this protest, unity was seen in the divided Punjab Congress. State unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Wading and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who had opposed the retaining of Wading as the president, also took part in the protest. Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa also joined the protest. The Punjab protest showed solidarity in the state Congress unit.
This is how factionalism started in Punjab Congress
The factionalism in the Punjab unit began when the Congress leadership on July 1 announced its decision to retain Wading as the state unit chief and appoint Channi as the chairman of the election campaign committee. A section of leaders led by Channi opposed the move to retain Wading as president and demanded his removal from the post.
