The 10-day Congress campaign in Punjab, led by party in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, ended on a turbulent note. What was meant to showcase organisational strength instead turned into a display of factional tensions, slogan-shouting, and clashes among workers.
Ludhiana district became the epicenter of discord and open defiance against the party leadership. The visit concluded on Saturday with a programme at Khanna, but not before the internal rifts spilled into public view.
Congress workers raise 'Go Back Bhupesh Baghel' slogans in Ludhiana
In Ludhiana, supporters of Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu raised slogans against the leadership, creating an uncomfortable scene at the party event. The protest was hard to miss — workers openly displayed posters carrying the slogan "Go Back Bhupesh Baghel" and wore T-shirts bearing the same message.
The slogan-shouting prompted a sharp response from Warring, who accused the protesters of being backed by the RSS. According to The Tribune, the confrontation deepened existing divides within the party rather than bridging them.
Tensions flared as the "Bhupesh Baghel Go Back" slogans were raised, leading to a heated exchange between supporters of the Congress leader and the state leadership, as reported by IANS.
Factional clashes spread beyond Ludhiana to Malerkotla
The unrest was not confined to Ludhiana. In Malerkotla, rival factions reportedly clashed on stage, according to the original report. This suggests the factional problem is not limited to one district but runs across the state unit.
The internal rift was out in the open, as India Today described the Ludhiana meeting as disrupted by the slogans, with the party's internal divisions clearly visible to the public.
"Go Back Bhupesh Baghel" — slogans raised by workers at the Ludhiana Congress event.
What the disruption means for Punjab Congress
The campaign was intended to project unity and strength ahead of upcoming political challenges. Instead, it exposed how deep the factional fault lines run within the Punjab Congress unit.
The open defiance against Baghel — a senior central leader sent to manage the state — signals that the party's internal disputes are far from resolved. When workers wear T-shirts telling their own in-charge to leave, it is a clear message that the leadership's authority is being questioned openly.
- Supporters of Bharat Bhushan Ashu led the slogan-shouting against the party leadership in Ludhiana
- Warring responded by accusing the protesters of RSS backing, escalating the confrontation
- Posters and T-shirts with "Go Back Bhupesh Baghel" were displayed by workers during the event
- In Malerkotla, rival factions reportedly clashed on stage, showing the unrest was widespread
Our Take: A campaign that exposed more than it fixed
To put it plainly, this campaign backfired. The purpose was to show a united Congress in Punjab, but the result was the opposite — public infighting, open defiance, and a clear split between factions loyal to different leaders.
In our view, the bigger problem is not the slogans themselves but what they represent. When workers feel bold enough to publicly tell a central in-charge to "go back," it means the party's internal mediation has failed. The accusation from Warring that the protesters were RSS-backed only adds fuel to the fire — it turns an internal party dispute into a political blame game.
For Punjab Congress, the takeaway is uncomfortable: the leadership cannot paper over these divisions with a roadshow. Until the factional issues are addressed directly, every future campaign risks ending the same way — with more slogans, more scuffles, and less unity.
For voters, this is a sign that the Congress in Punjab is still far from presenting a coherent alternative. A party that cannot manage its own workers in public will struggle to convince the public it can manage the state.