Factionalism within the PunjabCongress came to the fore during consultations on organisational changes in the State unit, with senior leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari left out of the exercise.

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In a cryptic post on social media platform X, Mr. Tewari invoked history to argue that factionalism has been Punjab’s worst enemy.

“Maharaja Ranjit Singh died on June 27, 1839. On March 29, 1849, the Sikh Empire was officially dissolved. Established on April 12, 1801, it lasted a mere 48 years. Internal squabbles post the demise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh brought about this ignominious end. Infighting has been the bane of Punjab since times immemorial,” the Congress MP posted.

His remarks came a day after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met five Punjab leaders in Delhi, including former Chief Minister and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa.

Mr. Tewari, who represents Chandigarh in the Lok Sabha, was unavailable for comment.

However, leaders close to him questioned the party high command’s decision to sideline one of Punjab’s most prominent Hindu faces ahead of the Assembly election due next year.

“In a State where Hindus constitute over 38% of the population and form a core segment of the Congress support base, it is surprising that the party has chosen to ignore Mr. Tewari,” a Punjab Congress leader told The Hindu.

The leader noted that Mr. Tewari won Ludhiana for the Congress in 2009 in the party’s first victory there since the 1952 General Election; represented Anandpur Sahib in 2019; and regained Chandigarh in 2024.

“He has spent nearly four-and-a-half decades in the party, from its student wing to becoming a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee. At a time when the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is reaching out to both the Sikh and Hindu communities, the Congress is sidelining one of its most prominent Hindu leaders,” the Punjab Congress leader said.