New Delhi

Congress leader Pargat Singh on Tuesday dismissed reports of factionalism within the Punjab Congress, saying differences of opinion are a part of democracy and would be resolved through internal discussions.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said there was no faction within the party and that the media was portraying routine interactions among leaders as signs of infighting.

"Firstly, there is no faction. Nowadays, even if someone has tea with someone, it is made a part of politics, saying this is a faction. It's nothing like that... Having a difference of opinion is democracy," he said.

He said the Congress has internal democracy, unlike the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), where, according to him, leaders do not express dissent publicly.

"This is not in the BJP. If you talk about the BJP, without Amit Shah and Modi, not a leaf moves. I don't consider this democracy. In the Aam Aadmi Party, nobody can speak without Kejriwal. But there should be internal democracy for the real picture of democracy. Yes, sometimes we speak too much," he said.

"Today, Punjab stands at a juncture where we need to provide better administration to take the state forward. There is no scope to conduct experiments with the state," he added.

Responding to a question on whether the issue would be resolved during the visit of the party's Punjab in-charge, Singh said the Congress leadership would address any grievances.

"The in-charge meets everyone and should meet everyone. If there are any grievances, that is what the system is for. I think he will definitely address them, and the high command too," he said.

The controversy intensified when, on July 4, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi called for a critical meeting at his home in Morinda. Several leaders, including stalwarts like Bharat Bhushan Ashu, were in attendance and sounded the rebellion against Warring. They demanded Warring's removal as Punjab Congress president, pitching Channi as the man to lead the party into the elections.

The leaders called on the party high command to reconsider the recently announced organisational appointments in Punjab, asserting that the party would return to power under Channi's leadership.

Earlier, Veteran Congress leader and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday also posted a picture of several Congress leaders with former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, indicating it was the Charanjit Channi-led faction of the state unit.

Meanwhile, speaking on the removal of the film 'Satluj' from an OTT platform, Singh opposed the move, saying films depicting alleged human rights violations should not be banned.

"If such things don't come on a public platform, how will correction happen? This film is based on real events. It should never be banned. It should be seen so that people learn how power should be used and not misused," he said.

Drawing a comparison with films such as 'The Kerala Story ', the Congress leader alleged that while such films were promoted, 'Satluj' had been removed despite dealing with what he described as "real-time" events.

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'Satluj', which had faced over three years of delay, was taken down from the OTT platform amid growing controversy. ZEE5 confirmed in an official statement that the film will remain unavailable in India until further notice, adding that it is exploring options to bring it back for audiences. The move triggered widespread reactions from celebrities and politicians alike.