At Sangrur ‘insaaf rally’, Rahul targets Mann govt on drugs, crime
At 'insaaf rally', Lok Sabha LoP raises law and order, drugs and gangster violence ahead of 2027 Assembly polls
Rahul Gandhi launches Congress's Punjab campaign from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann's home turf, targeting the AAP government.
Gandhi flags drugs, law and order and gangster violence, accusing AAP of running Punjab from Delhi.
Punjab Congress plans three 10-day yatras across Majha, Malwa and Doaba in November to mobilise public support.
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 4 November launched a sharp attack on the AAP government in Punjab from Sangrur, the home turf of chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and widely regarded as AAP’s political capital in the state. Addressing the party’s ‘insaaf rally’, he sounded the Congress campaign bugle for the Assembly elections due early next year.
Gandhi also recalled his interaction with slain singer Sidhu Moosewala whose father Balkar Singh shared the stage with Gandhi at the rally.
The Lok Sabha LoP criticised the state government on a range of fronts, from law and order to the drug problem, calling chitta (refined heroin) a major issue in Punjab.
“Many years back, I had said that drugs are spreading in Punjab. The BJP and the Akali Dal at that time said Rahul Gandhi does not know anything about Punjab, downplaying the drug menace,” he said.
Taking aim at the AAP’s style of governance, Gandhi said, “People need a government that works for Punjab. Not like AAP, which is run from Delhi.”
Gandhi also reiterated his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on the latter’s charge that the Congress is anti-national. “Come anywhere, sit with me and debate,” he said.
Attacking the BJP, he said, “They say have a discussion in Parliament, but you switch off my mic; you don’t let me speak in Parliament.”
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot and state Congress chief Pargat Singh attended the rally. They were joined by senior state leaders Partap Bajwa, Vijay Inder Singla, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
The rally’s impact was also visible in what other parties did on the day. As Gandhi reached Sangrur, the BJP began a one-day conference on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The AAP held a protest march outside Congress Bhawan in Sector 15, Chandigarh, over an issue of no concequence that received no coverage in the media. These events were, basically, meant to divert attention from the Sangrur rally.
In New Delhi, the Centre announced a two-year extension of service for all Agniveers whose four-year contractual term ends in December. The Agniveer scheme is expected to be a significant issue in the Punjab Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, with the 2027 Assembly elections on the horizon, the Punjab Congress is planning three 10-day yatras across the Majha, Malwa and Doaba regions in November. The aim is to take the campaign beyond party meetings and engage directly with people. The yatras are expected to focus on law and order, gangster-related violence and the killings of anti-drug activists.