Fissures within the Punjab Congress came out in the open again on Saturday as party workers raised slogans in support of former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi while state unit president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring was addressing a party programme in Patiala. Meanwhile, four senior Congress leaders from Patiala skipped the event, even as Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel was present at the venue.The incident highlighted the ongoing factionalism between Channi and Warring. As Warring took to the stage, a group of workers started shouting slogans such as “Channi Liyao, Punjab Bachao” and “Channi Liyao, Congress Bachao”. The sloganeering briefly disrupted the programme and visibly angered Warring, who stopped his speech and questioned the workers.Warring tried to point out some of the workers raising slogans, but others joined in and the hall soon echoed with pro-Channi slogans. Several senior leaders from Patiala, including sitting MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, also skipped the official party event. “The Congress leadership should hear the workers. You cannot ignore the workers and back leaders. Workers make the party, not leaders,” said a former MLA who also skipped the event.The protest took place during a Congress organisational meeting being held as part of the party’s campaign to strengthen its booth-level structure across Punjab. Warring warned that strict disciplinary action would be taken against anyone responsible for disrupting an official party programme and damaging the party’s image. However, the warning had little effect as workers continued raising the pitch and shouting Channi’s name.The event continued despite the chaos, but Congress workers present said such infighting would only benefit the opposition. “A few months ago, people were talking about a Congress comeback in the state. But with the widening rift within the state Congress, the advantage is now only with AAP,” said a former market committee chairman.The development comes amid reports that Channi has been staying away from the organisational campaign being led by Bhupesh Baghel and Raja Warring. Channi and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have reportedly skipped several events linked to the campaign. A day earlier, Channi was also absent from a Congress programme in Fatehgarh Sahib, where Warring and leaders from his camp were present.