In a development that signals continuing undercurrents within the Punjab BJP following the appointment of Kewal Singh Dhillon as state president, Jagmohan Singh Raju, IAS (retired), who had been among the contenders for the post, has resigned as state general secretary of the party.In a letter addressed to Sangathan Mantri Manthri Srinivasulu, written on June 5 (released on his social media post on Jattvibeday morning), Raju said he had served the party as vice-president and general secretary over the past four years, describing the period as among the most enriching of his political journey. A copy of the letter was marked to Dhillon.However, he cited his commitment to several public causes as the reason for stepping back from organisational responsibilities. In the letter, he said he had been actively working on issues, including the holy city status for Amritsar; educational support to youth; rights of poor children under the Right to Education Act; protection of constitutional rights of Scheduled Castes and Sikhs; religious conversion; the drug menace; the pre-eminence of Punjabi language; and legacy issues of Punjab, including water and Chandigarh.”These issues are of immense long-term importance to Punjab and the nation. Therefore, I propose to devote myself more extensively to these and related issues,” he wrote, adding that he also intended to undertake public outreach, research, writing, legal interventions and mass contact programmes.Acknowledging that these initiatives would require considerable time, travel and sustained engagement, Raju said it would not be fair to hold a major organisational post while simultaneously pursuing these commitments. “I would, therefore, be grateful if, for the present, I may kindly be spared any major organisational responsibility that demands my full time,” he said.Raju, a visiting fellow at Judge Business School, Cambridge University, and a visiting professor at Panjab University’s Department of Public Administration, had been seen as a strong candidate for the state BJP president’s post before the high command settled on Dhillon.His resignation comes close on the heels of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh publicly questioning the appointment, adding to the impression of visible restlessness within the Punjab BJP’s senior ranks ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.