No leader is bigger than the party and any indiscipline will invite action, AICC Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel Saturday said, the remarks coming at a time when Congress' state unit is battling factionalism, with its leaders speaking in many voices. “No matter how big a leader may be, he cannot be bigger than the party. Discipline is important in any organisation. Indiscipline will not be tolerated. Action will be taken against anyone who harms the party," said Baghel. The former Chhattisgarh chief minister, on second day of his two-day visit to the state, had earlier warned the party leaders against airing their differences in public — something that didn't have much of an effect. Addressing media along with state party chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Baghel played down the reports of infighting within the Punjab unit of the Congress. “When there is no dialogue then differences crop up. I have been here for two days and we have had discussions. Whenever this (dialogue) happens the differences get reduced,” he said. Baghel also parried a question on Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa’s remarks that Congress will not be fighting the 2027 elections with any CM face. “This issue falls under the purview of the party high command. Neither I nor can the state unit make any comments on this,” he said. To another question, he claimed that several senior leaders from other political parties were in touch with the Congress and have expressed their keenness to join the party. He said that during his two-day visit, he met a cross section of leadership including the district and block presidents. Baghel said the AICC has already spelt out the agenda to strengthen the party right from the grassroots to the top. In this context, he added, in Punjab the work has already begun with the meetings and other programmes at the district, block and the booth level. On the Ludhiana West Assembly byelection, he said, the party will formulate a comprehensive strategy and committees will be formed to fight the election effectively and successfully. About 2027 Assembly elections, Baghel said referred to the series of meetings he held during his visit and said the preparations had already started. He said that besides strengthening the party, various issues were also discussed, particularly the ideological fight the party will be leading. To a separate question on the possibility of voter list manipulation, he said, it was very much possible in Punjab. “If lakhs of votes can be added suspiciously in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, it can be very much done in Punjab also,” he said, adding that the DCC and block presidents and booth level workers have been asked to keep a close watch against the voter-list manipulations. Meanwhile, Warring said the party will work together to ensure victory for Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the Ludhiana West bypoll. This came a day after Ashu asked Baghel for the services of only three leaders for the constituency — Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh and former ministers Vijay Inder Singla and Sunder Sham Arora. Ashu, known to be at loggerheads with Warring, did not ask for services of any of the party MPs, or even that of Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa. Addressing media, Warring made it clear that it was not Ashu's election alone. "We will fight it together and we will win,” he said. Earlier, Baghel encouraged Youth Congress workers and leaders to work for the victory of the party in the 2027 Assembly election. Youngsters would be given 60 per cent representation in the allotment of tickets for the Assembly polls, he said, adding that that "non-serious leaders" would be shown the door.
