Newly appointed Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab , Sachin Pilot, on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as he took up his new assignment. He faces the challenge of factionalism in the State unit, particularly between former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring .
I don’t think they are warring (smiles). It is, perhaps, a different way of approaching the same situation. Every single Congressman understands that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) needs to be voted out and that Congress is ultimately the only viable option. There are huge challenges facing Punjab — the drug menace, the agrarian crisis. The State machinery is also pretty bankrupt. So Congress will have a responsibility to deliver. He was, perhaps, the first and only Dalit to have been made Chief Minister in Punjab. He was part of the history that the Congress Party had created. AAP seems to have an edge over Congress in terms of leadership and narrative. There is also talk of the BJP and Akali Dal coming together. How will Congress counter these factors? It will certainly be a multi-cornered election. But to my mind, the main contest would be between AAP and Congress. AAP is the incumbent and has to be accountable. It was the Congress leadership, both at the State and national level, that pulled Punjab out of the dark decade. So many sacrifices were made by people, policemen and party leaders. What are the main issues Congress would focus on?
As he himself said, it was the party that made him Chief Minister and a member of the Congress Working Committee.
