A day after Sachin Pilot was appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab, senior Congress leaders, including former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and others, who had been opposing the party’s decision to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, have assured him of full cooperation.While congratulating Pilot, both Channi and Randhawa assured him of support. The assurance by the warring leaders holds importance as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to undertake a six-day Punjab tour after September 15.Earlier, the Channi-led faction had accused the outgoing Punjab Affairs in-charge and former Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel of allegedly siding with Warring and not presenting the true ground report to the party high command.Incidentally, Randhawa and Pilot are now each other’s bosses, with the former being in-charge of the Rajasthan Congress. Pilot has become the second leader to be appointed Punjab in-charge after Harish Chaudhary from Rajasthan. Warring said the appointment of Pilot was a welcome step as he was young and a visionary leader. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said Pilot’s appointment had put the party in an advantageous position. “All will work with him to bring the party back to power,” he said.‘Knows Punjab’s socio-political landscape’Observers said Pilot’s fresh assignment carries significant political resonance as his connection to Punjab was deeply intertwined with the legacy of his late father, Rajesh Pilot. This would work to his advantage as he has an understanding of Punjab’s socio-political landscape.In the aftermath of the 1985 Rajiv-Longowal Accord, former Union Minister Rajesh Pilot, who was holding the charge of internal security, served as a key back-channel mediator between the central leadership and local factions to help restore peace in the state. Pilot often accompanied his father on high-stakes visits across Punjab, said leaders close to his family.Apart from campaigning in the Gujjar and OBC-dominated belts in the state, Pilot had been visiting Balachaur and Patiala on private visits.Leaders privy to the development said Pilot would visit Punjab this week. He is expected to meet Rahul and party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi within a couple of days, party insiders said, adding that the meeting would focus on the proposed organisational changes of the state unit.A senior leader said the September 4 meeting chaired by Rahul had set into motion the wheel of change, with the general secretary in-charge being replaced in the first go. The meeting, which was attended by Kharge, AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, focused on different permutations and combinations to end the deadlock.