The Indian National Congress president on Thursday, 11 June appointed three All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers — Ajay Maken, Meenakshi Natarajan, and Bhajan Lal Jatav — to assess the prevailing political situation in Punjab and submit a formal report to the party leadership. The move signals the Congress is intensifying its organisational groundwork ahead of the next Punjab assembly elections.

Leadership Question Settled, Says State Unit

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring left no ambiguity on the question of electoral leadership. He stated that the party will contest the upcoming assembly elections under Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. 'There is no doubt about that,' Warring said, responding to reporters in Chandigarh.

On his own role, Warring struck a measured note, saying he has always considered himself a party worker and will continue in that capacity.

Congress Claims Commanding Position in Punjab

Warring asserted that the Congress holds a strong advantage in the state, declaring that 'the writing is on the wall that the next government will be of the Congress.' He described this as a shared commitment among all Congress workers in Punjab.

Sacrilege and Behbal Kalan Firing Back in Focus

Warring sharply criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann over its handling of the Behbal Kalan police firing case, in which two people were killed. He questioned why no action had been taken despite 4.5 years passing and the public admission of guilt by Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal — who served as Home Minister at the time — before the Akal Takht. The sacrilege and firing incidents remain among the most politically charged issues in Punjab.

AAP's 'Vigilance-Party' Tag and BJP's Agency Misuse

Responding to the AAP leadership's characterisation of the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the 'chitta party' and the 'ED-party' respectively, Warring offered a pointed counter. He acknowledged that the BJP was 'undoubtedly misusing agencies against Opposition leaders across the country,' but argued that the AAP was 'no less,' alleging misuse of the Vigilance Department against political opponents in Punjab. 'While the BJP is the ED-party, the AAP is the Vigilance-Party,' he said.

Warring on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu

Warring also weighed in on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, asserting that Bittu had 'already lost his relevance in Punjab.' He noted that Bittu would no longer serve as a Rajya Sabha MP and suggested he may soon lose his ministerial position as well. Warring added that it was the Congress that had historically respected and ensured the relevance of its leaders — something Bittu, he said, 'must have realised by now.'

With AICC observers now on the ground and the state unit projecting confidence, the Congress appears to be accelerating its Punjab strategy well ahead of the election cycle.