IndiaPosted at: Nov 4 2026 6:32PM


Congress kicks off Punjab poll campaign, Rahul accuses Mann of taking orders from Shah and Kejriwal

New Delhi, Nov 4 (UNI) The Congress, on Wednesday, sounded the election bugle for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls, projecting a united front at a massive rally in Sangrur, where Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of being controlled by union Home Minister Amit Shah and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Pitching the demand for a government that takes decisions within Punjab rather than at the behest of political leaders in Delhi, Gandhi alleged that the reins of the Mann government were held by two leaders from outside the state. “One rein is in Shah’s hands and another in Kejriwal’s,” he declared, drawing loud applause from the gathering.
Taking a direct swipe at Mann over the growing drug menace, Gandhi questioned how Punjab could fight drugs effectively when, as he alleged, its Chief Minister got drunk every evening. Recalling his interactions with Mann during the latter’s tenure as an MP, Gandhi said he had often seen him in Parliament cracking jokes and appearing to be intoxicated even at 11 am.
While acknowledging that drinking was a personal choice, he maintained that the Chief Minister’s alleged drinking habits raised serious questions about his ability to tackle the drug crisis. “You cannot fight drugs in a state whose Chief Minister gets drunk every evening. You need someone who can fight for Punjab and who truly feels Punjab’s pain,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who addressed the rally alongside the party’s national and state leadership, launched an equally sharp attack on the AAP government, describing it as the most corrupt administration he had witnessed in his more than six decades of political life. Accusing the Mann government of failing to curb drugs, neglecting farmers and jeopardising the future of the state’s youth, Kharge questioned whether this was the good governance the AAP had promised.
“Did the people of Punjab choose you for this? Earlier you destroyed Delhi and now you have destroyed Punjab,” he said.
Kharge also accused the AAP of acting as the BJP’s B-team, alleging that it deliberately entered electoral contests in states where the Congress was in a strong position to split the anti-BJP vote. Citing Gujarat and Goa, he questioned the rationale behind the AAP contesting elections in states where it lacked a substantial organisational presence. “Wherever the Congress is in a winning position, the AAP comes to the BJP’s aid,” he alleged.
Gandhi, meanwhile, sought to draw a contrast between the present dispensation and previous Congress governments in Punjab, arguing that the state needed a Chief Minister who could govern independently and understand its problems instead of taking instructions from Delhi. He said Punjab’s two traditional pillars of economic strength—agriculture and small and medium-scale industries—were both in distress. Without reviving these sectors, he argued, the state would struggle to address the interconnected challenges of drugs, gangsterism and unemployment.
Challenging Shah over the Centre’s stated target of eliminating drugs by December 2029, Gandhi questioned the Home Minister’s credibility and ability to deliver on the promise. He said he did not expect the present government to remain in office beyond another year and argued that Shah might no longer be holding the portfolio when the deadline arrived.
He also demanded answers over the seizure of drugs at Adani’s port in Gujarat and accused the Home Minister of protecting and patronising gangsters by providing them safe havens inside jails. “Don’t talk about drugs and law and order as you have no right to,” he said.
Gandhi also renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to debate allegations that the Congress was anti-national, offering to face him at any venue of his choice and even allowing Modi to nominate the judge. He suggested that the debate could be held at an NDTV studio, with anyone selected by the Prime Minister, including RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat or industrialist Gautam Adani, acting as the adjudicator. Claiming that he would need just five minutes to make his case, Gandhi said he was prepared to demonstrate who was actually working against India’s national interests.
“They tell me to come and debate in Parliament, but you switch off my mic and do not let me speak,” he said, asserting that he was confident of establishing his allegations if Modi agreed to a direct debate.
The Congress leader also accused Modi of coming under pressure from US President Donald Trump while negotiating the India-US trade agreement. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister had signed the deal within five minutes without consulting his Cabinet colleagues or senior bureaucrats, compromising the interests of Indian farmers, agriculture, data and small and medium enterprises. He further linked the agreement to the US case against industrialist Gautam Adani, alleging that the case was closed by Trump after the trade deal was signed.
Invoking the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Gandhi recalled meeting the singer before he joined the Congress and described him as a talented young man who represented the voice of Punjab. He said it was particularly tragic that Moosewala’s security had been withdrawn before he was shot dead in broad daylight. Alleging that the mindset responsible for the killing continued to prevail in the state, Gandhi cited the incident as an illustration of the deterioration in Punjab’s law-and-order situation.
The Sangrur rally brought together the Congress’s national leadership and prominent Punjab leaders on a common platform, with the party seeking to demonstrate organisational unity ahead of the Assembly elections after a period of electoral and organisational challenges in the state.
Among those present were Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot, former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress president Raja Warring, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh, Vijay Inder Singla and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.
With the AAP government facing sustained opposition criticism over drugs, gangsterism, corruption and governance, the Congress used the Sangrur gathering to give an early shape to its campaign for 2027. Its central message was that Punjab needed a government accountable to its people and capable of taking independent decisions within the state, rather than one allegedly operating under the political control of leaders in Delhi.
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Tags: #Congress kicks off Punjab poll campaign# Rahul accuses Mann of taking orders from Shah and Kejriwal
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