In an unusual team-building exercise that blended physical drill with messaging on political cohesion, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi chose a floor mat and a dose of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to underscore the importance of unity and coordination among top Punjab Congress leaders.Among the students in the unconventional classroom were Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Amrinder Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition Partap Bajwa, Jammu and Kasmir party in-charge and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh and the 29 newly elected Punjab district Congress presidents, besides district Congress presidents from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.Barring Warring, Bajwa and Pargat Singh, no other prominent leaders such as former CM Charanjit Channi, MP Sukhjinder Randhawa and Vijay Inder Singla were present. Officially, it was an organisation meeting, but the occasion was used to send Rahul’s message of unity among all warring factions.It was not the much-anticipated meeting of Punjab Congress leaders with Rahul at the AICC headquarters in Delhi, but the concluding day of a 10-day training camp at Kangra in Himachal Pradesh for district Congress presidents from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.Party insiders said with Warring and Bajwa lined up, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha ordered a simple team drill — 10 push-ups each — as part of a team exercise mandating that if the phone of any of the participants rang during the event, all members of the team will have to do 10 push-ups each. As Rahul’s phone rang, all those present in the hall had to take to the floor mat. It was not punishment, but pedagogy.A leader present at the meeting said the push-ups drill was ordered moments  after Malerkotla district Congress president Nishat Akhtar minced no words to point out to Rahul that the pro-Congress narrative was missing on the ground and that party workers and the common man wanted to bring the party to power, but lack of unity among top state leaders was an obstacle. She reportedly said top leaders were chasing their individual agendas at the cost of the party.Adding element to remarks made by Akhtar, party observers say the Punjab Congress has several CM aspirants like Warring, Bajwa, Channi and Randhawa.On condition of anonymity, a party leader, who was among the participants, said Rahul’s message was clear — work hard and create a space within the party, instead of aligning with one group or the other.Earlier, Rahul used the Brazilian martial art to draw analogies from the martial art to explain political strategies, power dynamics, focus and resilience, urging the participants to stay united and tactful in countering opponents.Like an instructor, Rahul is believed to have told the participants that in jiu-jitsu, one does not win with brute force alone. Using leverage, timing and resilience, one has to stay united with one’s partner, or else the opponent pins you down effortlessly — as in politics.A senior party leader said for Punjab leaders, Rahul had a pointed message on factionalism. Whether 10 push-ups and jiu-jitsu analogies can unite party leaders days ahead of an anticipated overhaul of the Punjab Congress in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections remains to be seen.