Bajwa's dinner boost to Congress unity in Punjab

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in Punjab and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday night hosted a dinner for party leaders, a move seen as a strong message to the political rivals that the grand old party was united in the border state ahead of next year's assembly elections.

The Congress has often been described as a divided house in Punjab, with senior leaders always at each other's throats and projecting themselves as separate entities rather than a team.

The intense infighting and bitter war of words against each other had raised questions over the Congress party's ability to oust the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from power in the 2027 elections.

Regaining Punjab is crucial to the Congress's revival bid across the country, and Bajwa took the lead in dispelling the notion that the faction-ridden grand old party was incapable of making a comeback in the sensitive state in 2027.

Bajwa's dinner diplomacy brought the warring leaders on the same platform and gave a big push to the Congress high command's unifying efforts to ensure that the past mistakes are not repeated.

Among those who were present included former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi (there is intense speculation in Punjab that he is likely to join the BJP in the coming days), state unit president Aamarinder Singh Raja Warring, Vijay Inder Singla, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Amar Singh, Dharamvir Gandhi, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Kushaldeep Dhillon besides all the district chiefs.