Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Punjab unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring in Barnala on Saturday. PTIDelivering a blunt warning to faction-ridden Congress unit in Punjab, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Saturday made it clear that teamwork and and unity were non-negotiable and if the party leaders cannot become team players then they will be made to sit in the reserves.“I want to give a message to the Congress party that work is done through teamwork. One player cannot win a match. Become a team player or else we will make you sit as a reserve player,” he said.Gandhi went on to add, “No matter how big a leader you are, no one is above the party. Be a team player and if you do not become one, then (party national president Mallikarjun) Kharge ji and I will fix you”.He was addressing the MGNREGA Sangram Rally at the new grain market in Punjab’s Barnala district, part of the politically influential Malwa belt, which is home to 69 of the 117 Assembly seats. Gandhi’s message — delivered in the presence of almost the entire state leadership — comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Punjab due early next year.The warning is being interpreted by observers and party insiders as a high-command directive to quell public bickering and media leaks that have plagued the state unit. Congress sources described it as a “much-needed reality check” to project unity ahead of the polls.Those who were present on stage included state party chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, former chief ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and senior leaders Vijay Inder Singla, Rana KP Singh, and Rana Gurjeet Singh. Kharge and senior leaders K C Venugopal and Bhupesh Baghel also attended the event.Gandhi stressed that discipline and collective effort are non-negotiable for defeating rivals like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP. “All senior leaders are sitting here on the stage. I want to tell them clearly that our real strength is our workers, and whatever happens in Punjab will happen with their consent,” Gandhi said, drawing loud applause.Story continues below this adThe Congress high command had last month too issued a warning to party leaders in Punjab, asking them not to make any statements in public on internal matters or against each other. The warning came following reports of intense factionalism in the state unit. It was also conveyed at the meeting that there will be no leadership change in the state, and that the central leadership will soon take a call on candidate selection and campaigning.Bajwa welcomed Gandhi’s remarks and said the goal for the Congress is to win in Punjab. “Only unity will bring success,” he said.Asked if Gandhi’s remarks were due to slogans being raised by workers in favour of Channi, Rana Gurjeet Singh said, “Please do not misinterpret anything. If slogans were raised for Channi Sahab and people were happy, do not take it in the wrong direction”.Reacting sharply to Gandhi’s remarks, BJP’s Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar said there was “neither an agenda for Punjab nor any discussion about farmers and labourers” during the Congress rally. “Instead, it was Gandhi’s desperate attempt—on behalf of the already ineffectual Congress high command —to publicly humiliate Punjab’s fragmented leadership and coerce them into coming together through a warning. But in doing so, Rahul Gandhi not only ended up exposing the state leadership to public ridicule but also showed how ineffective his own leadership abilities are.” said Jakhar, a former state Congress chief who umped ship to the BJP in 2022.Story continues below this adShiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Gandhi was not concerned about the people of Punjab. “He came here solely to calm the infighting and factionalism within the Punjab Congress. He knows that his party is now on the verge of breaking apart because all its leaders are busy pulling each other down in the race for power,” he said.AAP general secretary Baltej Pannu pointed to the banner put up for the rally carrying photos of only Gandhi and Kharge. “How badly things have turned for those poor Congressmen who roam around wearing imaginary chief ministerial jackets! Even your photo has vanished from the posters,” he said.Meanwhile, during his address, Gandhi said, “Punjab is our strength. When I visit the state, I enjoy coming here because I can see India’s strength, its foundation here. You are our protector, our foundation, and we love you”.