The political dispute between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab has escalated from differences over the drug crisis to direct personal attacks involving senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The latest confrontation unfolded during the Congress’s ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Mann’s political stronghold, where Gandhi criticised the Punjab government and referred to the chief minister’s past conduct in the Lok Sabha.
Before the rally, Gandhi had accused the AAP government of responding to questions about its failures with threats and torture. In a post on X, he demanded a police case against Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema after the death of 47-year-old Gulzar Singh, who had questioned the minister about narcotics.
Mann responded to Gandhi on the same day, accusing him of doing politics over dead bodies. “Rahul Gandhi ji, do not do politics over dead bodies. Punjabis do not like this kind of politics,” the chief minister said.
The exchange intensified after anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa. Gandhi said on X that raising one’s voice against drugs in Punjab had effectively become a death sentence. The AAP hit back, asking him to put his own party’s affairs in order.
Gandhi targets Mann over alleged alcohol use
Addressing the gathering in Sangrur, Gandhi recalled the period when he and Mann were members of the Lok Sabha. He said Mann would sit with Congress MPs and tell jokes, adding that alcohol could be smelled on his breath by 11 am.
Gandhi said drinking was Mann’s personal matter, but argued that a chief minister could not be under the influence every evening while claiming to fight substance abuse in the state.
“Now, I am not saying that Bhagwant Mann shouldn’t drink. This is his personal affair. If he chooses to drink, that is entirely his own business. But if you truly want to fight the menace of substance abuse, your chief minister cannot be under the influence every single evening,” Gandhi said.
AAP leaders hit back
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised Gandhi’s remarks and referred to allegations of drug use previously made against the Congress leader. Bharadwaj said such accusations served no purpose and that Gandhi should not have made what he described as cheap comments.
The confrontation reflects the contrasting relationship between the two parties. While the Congress and AAP have opposed the BJP on several issues at the national level, they are sharply divided in Punjab. The AAP is no longer a formal INDIA bloc ally for elections in the state.
Congress leaders have accused Mann’s office of being controlled remotely from Delhi by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP, in response, has described Congress leaders as election tourists arriving in a state where the party is beyond repair.
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