Disturbance emerges in Punjab Congress as Manish Tewari is kept out of consultation

Congress MP Manish Tewari. File | Photo credit: ANI

Factionalism within the Punjab Congress came to the fore during the consultations on organizational changes in the state unit, with senior leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari left out of the exercise.

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In a cryptic post on social media platform X, Mr. Tewari invoked history to claim that factionalism is the biggest enemy of Punjab.

“Maharaja Ranjit Singh died on June 27, 1839. On March 29, 1849, the Sikh Empire was officially dissolved. It came into being on April 12, 1801, and lasted only 48 years. Internal strife after the demise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh brought an end to this era of unremembered Punjab,” the Congress MP wrote.

His remarks came a day after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met five Punjab leaders in Delhi, including former Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa.

Mr. Tewari, who represents Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha, was not available for comment.

However, leaders close to him have questioned the party high command’s decision to sideline one of Punjab’s most prominent Hindu faces ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.

“In a state where Hindus constitute more than 38% of the population and form a major segment of the Congress support base, it is surprising that the party chose to ignore Mr. Tewari,” a Punjab leader told The Hindu.

The Leader noted that Mr. Tewari had won Ludhiana for the Congress in 2009 in the party’s first victory since the 1952 general elections; represented Anandpur Sahib in 2019; and regained Chandigarh in 2024.

“He has spent nearly four-and-a-half decades in the party, from its student wing to becoming a special invitee in the Congress Working Committee. At a time when the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is reaching out to both the Sikh and Hindu communities, the Congress will sideline one of its most prominent Hindu leaders,” the Punjab leader said.

Published – 22 Jun 2026 23:05 IST