All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel has called a meeting of state party leaders on Tuesday in Delhi to prepare a strategy for the state Assembly poll scheduled for early next year.Members of the newly formed election committees have been called for the meeting. As the monsoon session of Parliament is beginning tomorrow, party MPs — including former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, state unit chief Amrinder Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Amar Singh, Gurjit Aujla and Dharmavira Gandhi — will be in Delhi.The meeting comes amid tensions in the Punjab Congress over the recent reshuffle, in which Warring was retained as the Punjab Congress chief, much to the chagrin of the Channi camp.However, after meeting AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal in Delhi, Channi had said that he would abide by the party high command’s decision on Punjab.The leaders were also conveyed the high command’s displeasure for taking internal differences public.According to sources, the party high command has directed the state unit to go ahead with election preparations. As the state leaders have been strictly told to put up a united face, the party is planning to rollout its campaign.‘Several events lined up’“Various programmes, rallies in Doaba, Majha and Malwa, and a unity bus yatra have been planned. The programme will be worked out in discussion with all the stakeholders,” said a senior leader.To drive home the message of unity, the Congress had planned to replicate the Karnataka model by launching a ‘Congress Unity Bus Yatra’.“Top leaders are expected to travel across the state in a specially designed bus, covering maximum constituencies. If everything goes well, Rahul Gandhi could come to flag off or join the yatra,” said a source.Earlier in the month, the Congress high command had appointed Channi as the head of the campaign committee. Vijay Inder Singla was appointed the chief of the party’s election management and coordination committee.Former Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa will chair the core committee and Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh will steer the manifesto panel.


