Internal strife within the Congress surfaced during the visit of former Punjab Chief Minister and Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi, who was in Ferozepur to attend the coronation ceremony of newly elected Municipal Council president Ashok Sachdeva and his team at the Town Hall complex.The event was organised by former MLA Parminder Singh Pinki. Several senior Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha MP Sher Singh Ghubaya, former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, ex-MP Mohammed Sadiq, and former MLAs Raminder Singh Awla, Davinder Ghubaya and Karan Kaur Brar, were also present.However, photographs of Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, ex-MLA Kulbir Singh Zira and the District Congress Committee (DCC) president were missing from the event posters and invitation cards, indicating a vertical split within the party.When asked about the missing photographs and the recent “Bhupesh Baghel Go Back” posters seen across the state, as well as pro-Channi slogans raised during Baghel’s programmes, Channi refrained from commenting.Addressing party workers later, Channi launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleging that the ruling party had “forced” its candidates to victory in the recently concluded Municipal Council elections through unfair means. He claimed that fresh civic polls would be held after the Congress returned to power in the state.Channi further alleged that the AAP government had “looted” Punjab to fund its electoral prospects elsewhere.Speaking about the ongoing protests, Channi accused the government of suppressing protests by various sections of society through police action. He alleged that decisions in Punjab were being dictated from Delhi, claiming Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was merely signing files on the instructions of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.The former Chief Minister said the Congress had experienced leadership and would resolve Punjab’s pressing issues after returning to power. He urged party workers to remain united and work with dedication to strengthen the organisation.Channi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his aborted visit to Ferozepur on January 5, 2022, alleging that false cases had been registered against protesting farmers.“I had only three months in office, yet we stood firmly with the farmers and ensured that they were protected from false cases,” Channi said.Reacting to the controversy, DCC president Kulbir Singh Zira said the function was a private event and not an official party programme. He said he had not been invited and added that show-cause notices would be issued to block presidents over the matter.Zira said the omission of senior leaders’ photographs reflected an individual’s thinking, not that of the Congress party. He asserted that all senior leaders, including Bhupesh Baghel, would feature in the party’s ‘Har Booth Congress Mazboot’ programme scheduled to be held in Ferozepur on Tuesday.“If the photographs of some leaders were not displayed, it reflects the thinking of an individual and not that of the Congress. The party believes in giving equal respect to all its leaders,” he added.