Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Friday, 3 July 2026, even as the Indian National Congress (INC) in Punjab reeled from open dissent following a sweeping organisational revamp ahead of Assembly elections. Randhawa was quick to clarify that the meeting was pre-scheduled and unrelated to the party's internal turbulence.

What Randhawa Said

'About two months ago, on 4 June 2026, I wrote to the Prime Minister and sent a copy to the Home Minister, raising concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab,' Randhawa told reporters after the meeting. He submitted a memorandum to Shah demanding action against a spike in gangster-related incidents in Gurdaspur and other border areas, which were discussed in detail during the interaction.

Randhawa also posted on X clarifying that the meeting had been fixed weeks in advance and was centred on his earlier representation regarding Punjab's security situation — not the Congress organisational shake-up.

The Channi Factor

The meeting came on the same day that former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi — widely regarded as the frontrunner for the party's state top post before the revamp — convened a gathering of senior Congress leaders. The meeting drew several heavyweights: former Deputy Chief Minister O.P. Soni, former ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and Gurkirat Singh Kotli, as well as former MP Mohammad Sadiq.

When asked about Channi's parallel meeting, Randhawa said, 'This situation should not have arisen. So many meetings have taken place, yet the lack of satisfaction is a sorrowful matter.'

BJP Takes a Jab at Warring

Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu seized on the Congress disarray to target Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Drawing a pointed parallel with the iconic Asrani jailor scene from the film Sholay — where the jailor's entire contingent marches away, leaving him alone — Bittu said a similar situation had played out with Warring, whose team has reportedly drifted en masse toward Channi's camp.

In a tongue-in-cheek remark, Bittu advised Warring to stop resisting the inevitable, join the 'Channi wagon', and accompany the rest of his colleagues to Channi's residence.

Tewari's Cryptic Lament

A day before Randhawa's meeting with Shah, three-term Congress MP Manish Tewari — a former Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting — expressed his discontent in a veiled post on X after being sidelined in the party's appointment of new working presidents and poll panels for Punjab.

'Wish I had an antidote for the insecurities of individuals and institutions! Having said that @INCIndia has given me enough over the past 45 years and I have also devoted my entire adult life in the service of the Indian National Congress over the decades,' Tewari wrote. He signed off with the phrase: 'Que sera, sera, Whatever will be, will be…'

Notably, of the seven Congress MPs from Punjab, six have been assigned election-related roles for the upcoming Assembly elections — a distribution that critics within the party say has not satisfied all senior figures. With Channi's parallel camp consolidating and Warring's position looking increasingly isolated, the Congress faces a credibility test in Punjab well before polling day.