{"id":27704,"date":"2026-01-20T05:46:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T05:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/all-posts-with-upper-castes-former-cm-channis-remarks-spark-row-in-punjab-congress-politics-news\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T05:46:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T05:46:47","slug":"all-posts-with-upper-castes-former-cm-channis-remarks-spark-row-in-punjab-congress-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/all-posts-with-upper-castes-former-cm-channis-remarks-spark-row-in-punjab-congress-politics-news\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018All Posts With Upper Castes\u2019: Former CM Channi\u2019s Remarks Spark Row In Punjab Congress | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"story-9843318\">\n<p><span class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">Last Updated:<\/span><time class=\"jsx-395e0e0beb19cb6e jsx-3759419209\">January 20, 2026, 10:57 IST<\/time><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"asubttl-9843318\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572 asubttl-schema\">Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Raja Warring sought to play down the controversy, saying there is no discrimination within the party.<\/h2>\n<div id=\"artshare\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 artshare\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 stickdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 deskwrapstkdiv\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 fontchange\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/font.svg\" height=\"30px\" width=\"30px\" alt=\"font\" title=\"font\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 lazyload\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 artsharwrp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/web.whatsapp.com\/send?text=%E2%80%98All%20Posts%20With%20Upper%20Castes%E2%80%99%3A%20Former%20CM%20Channi%E2%80%99s%20Remarks%20Spark%20Row%20In%20Punjab%20Congress - %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/www.news18.com\/politics\/all-posts-with-upper-castes-former-cm-channis-remarks-spark-row-in-punjab-congress-ws-l-9843318.html%3Futm_source%3Dwhatsapp%26utm_medium%3Dsocial_share%26utm_campaign%3Dnw18english%0D%0A %0D%0A Get the latest news anytime, anywhere. Install News18 app for free! %0D%0Ahttps:\/\/onelink.to\/website-share-eng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 sclrnd wapp social_share\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 notifycnt social_share\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_share_icon.svg\" alt=\"new share icon\" title=\"new share icon\" width=\"8\" height=\"9\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/dlxczavtqcctuei\/news18\/static\/images\/english\/new_whatsapp_icon.svg\" alt=\"new whatsapp icon\" title=\"new whatsapp icon\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" class=\"jsx-ea217851d88955e2 social_share\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572\">\n<figure class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572 amimg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"During a meeting, Channi pointed out that Punjab Congress president, the CLP leader, the women\u2019s wing chief and the state general secretary are all from upper castes. (PTI)\" title=\"During a meeting, Channi pointed out that Punjab Congress president, the CLP leader, the women\u2019s wing chief and the state general secretary are all from upper castes. (PTI)\" src=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2021\/07\/1627283897_news18_logo-1200x800.jpg?impolicy=website&amp;width=400&amp;height=225\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572\"\/><\/p>\n<p>During a meeting, Channi pointed out that Punjab Congress president, the CLP leader, the women\u2019s wing chief and the state general secretary are all from upper castes. (PTI)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"0\" class=\"story_para_0\">Cracks have surfaced within the Punjab Congress after former Chief Minister and MP Charanjit Singh Channi flagged the lack of Dalit representation in the party\u2019s top state leadership, triggering a sharp political reaction and an open invitation from the BJP for him to switch sides.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1\" class=\"story_para_1\">The controversy erupted after a video of Channi from a Congress SC Cell meeting held in Chandigarh on Saturday went viral. In the clip, Channi is seen strongly questioning why key organisational posts in the Punjab Congress are held by leaders from upper castes, particularly Jatt Sikhs, despite Dalits forming around 35\u201338 per cent of the state\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2\" class=\"story_para_2\">In the video, Channi points out that the Punjab Congress president, the CLP leader, the women\u2019s wing chief and the state general secretary are all from upper castes, asking, \u201cWhere should Dalits go? Where will these people go?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"3\" class=\"story_para_3\">His remarks were seen as an open challenge to the party\u2019s leadership structure in Punjab.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4\" class=\"story_para_4\">The BJP was quick to seize on the remarks, taking a dig at the Congress and inviting Channi to join the party, claiming his concerns reflected deep-rooted issues within the Congress.<\/p>\n<p id=\"5\" class=\"story_para_5\">Channi, however, later issued a clarification, saying he believes in the Gurus\u2019 philosophy of \u201cManas ki jaat sabhai ek pehchaan&#8221; and that he has never spoken against any caste or community. He alleged that false propaganda was being spread against him and said he remains grateful to the Congress for giving him key responsibilities, through which he raised issues related to Punjab, farmers and labourers. He added that Punjab is like a bouquet and can only progress if all sections move together.<\/p>\n<p id=\"6\" class=\"story_para_6\">Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Raja Warring sought to play down the controversy, saying there is no discrimination within the party. He said Channi holds one of the highest posts as a member of the Congress Working Committee and also serves as chairman of the party\u2019s agriculture committee.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7\" class=\"story_para_7\">\u201cDalits are the crown of our heads, but our party is secular. Punjab has stayed away from caste-based politics,&#8221; Warring said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572 atbtlink fp\"><span>First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs\">\n<p>January 20, 2026, 10:57 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572 brdcrmb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/\">News<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/politics\/\">politics<\/a>  <span class=\"brdout\"> \u2018All Posts With Upper Castes\u2019: Former CM Channi\u2019s Remarks Spark Row In Punjab Congress<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"coral-wrap\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f \">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coral-cont\">\n<div class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f coltoptxt\">Disclaimer: Comments reflect users\u2019 views, not News18\u2019s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/disclaimer\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Terms of Use<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/privacy_policy\/\" class=\"jsx-ba4d8f086a12294f\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"jsx-ee90caf6118df965 jsx-3367949572 rmbtn news18_read_more\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/politics\/all-posts-with-upper-castes-former-cm-channis-remarks-spark-row-in-punjab-congress-ws-l-9843318.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 10:57 IST Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Raja Warring sought to play down the controversy, saying there is no discrimination within the party. During a meeting, Channi pointed out that Punjab Congress president, the CLP leader, the women\u2019s wing chief and the state general secretary are all from upper castes. (PTI) Cracks&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}