Congress slams AAP govt in Punjab over drugs, jobs crisis at Sangrur rally
Synopsis
Congress has picked Sangrur — symbolically loaded AAP territory — to fire its opening salvo ahead of Punjab's 2027 elections. With Rahul Gandhi at the podium and senior leaders alleging drugs at doorsteps, fleeing businesses, and a betrayed electorate, the party is making an unmistakable pitch: AAP's experiment has failed and Congress is the only fix.
Key Takeaways
Congress held an Insaaf Rally in Sangrur, Punjab on 4 November 2026 , addressed by Rahul Gandhi .
Pratap Singh Bajwa accused CM Bhagwant Mann of betraying voters and called the state unsafe for businesses, families, and youth under AAP rule.
Vijay Inder Singla alleged drugs are being sold door to door and weapons smuggled via drones despite BSF presence at the border.
Congress criticised the expansion of BSF jurisdiction in Punjab from 15 km to 50 km , saying it has not curbed smuggling.
Congress is positioning itself as the only credible alternative ahead of Punjab assembly elections in 2027 , with Rahul Gandhi framed as a national leader for 2029 .
Congress leaders on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, mounted a sharp offensive against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of presiding over a governance collapse marked by rising drug addiction, unemployment, and mass migration. The attacks came on the sidelines of the party's Insaaf Rally in Sangrur, addressed by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Bajwa's Broadside: 'Punjab Can't Experiment Anymore'
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Pratap Singh Bajwa accused Chief Minister Mann of betraying the trust of voters who had given AAP a mandate to govern the state. 'Bhagwant Mann has cheated the people of Punjab. People gave him a chance and saw that nothing is safe under AAP rule: not any business, nor a family, not anyone's life, neither the children nor the youth,' Bajwa said.
Bajwa alleged large-scale migration was underway, with educated and financially secure families sending their children abroad, while those unable to afford migration were becoming increasingly vulnerable to drug addiction. He argued that the state 'could no longer afford political experiments' and needed a sustained development strategy. 'Punjab has made up its mind. The only party that can save Punjab now is Congress. We have a good track record; we have people who are educated and have administrative experience. Punjab can't experiment anymore. The state has to be fixed brick by brick,' he said.
Bajwa also invoked Congress' historical contribution to the state, citing the establishment of Chandigarh, the Green Revolution, the Bhakra Dam, irrigation infrastructure, and universities as milestones from Congress-led governments of the past. He said reopening traditional trade routes and securing access to international markets would revive Punjab's industrial and commercial sectors, contingent on Congress returning to power at the Centre in 2029.
Singla's Allegations: Drugs at the Doorstep, Businesses Fleeing
Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla alleged that the AAP government had failed to control drug trafficking, organised crime, and unemployment. He claimed drugs were being sold door to door and that weapons were entering Punjab through its international borders via drones, despite the presence of the Border Security Force (BSF).
Singla also criticised the Centre over the expansion of the BSF's jurisdiction in Punjab from 15 km to 50 km from the international border, arguing it had not stemmed smuggling. He pointed to incidents of gang violence, murders, and alleged threats against those who spoke out against the government as evidence of a deteriorating law and order situation.
'The AAP promised that it would employ the people of the state, but today the conditions are so bad. Violence and addiction are rampant, and none of the big businesses is investing here,' Singla said. He also alleged that the problem of 'chitta' — synthetic drugs — had its roots in the tenures of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, while simultaneously holding AAP responsible for failing to address it.
The Insaaf Rally: Congress Stakes Its Punjab Claim
Congress described the Sangrur Insaaf Rally as a platform to highlight issues of rights, justice, and the future of Punjab's people. Singla invoked the legacy of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, and Udham Singh, as well as the farmers' protest against the three central farm laws, to frame Congress as the natural inheritor of Punjab's tradition of resistance.
Bajwa additionally underlined the significance of Rahul Gandhi's leadership, saying Punjab needed his guidance and that the party viewed him as a national leader for the 2029 general elections. This comes amid Congress' broader effort to consolidate opposition space in a state where AAP swept to power in 2022 with a historic majority, leaving Congress a distant second.
What This Means for Punjab's Political Landscape
Punjab is not due for assembly elections until 2027, but the Sangrur rally signals that Congress is already on a campaign footing, seeking to capitalise on what it frames as AAP's governance failures. Notably, Sangrur is the constituency from which AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal contested a parliamentary by-election in 2022 and lost — lending additional symbolic weight to Congress' choice of venue. AAP has not publicly responded to Wednesday's allegations.
Point of View
Not a spontaneous outburst — the choice of venue, where AAP's Arvind Kejriwal lost a by-poll, is too pointed to be coincidental. Yet the party faces a credibility problem of its own: it governed Punjab for a decade before 2022, and the drug crisis it now attacks AAP over took root on its watch too. Bajwa's invocation of Nehruvian nation-building sits uneasily against Congress' own recent Punjab record. The real test is whether the rally translates into organisational rebuilding in a state where AAP hollowed out Congress at the booth level — rhetoric at Insaaf rallies will not win seats without a grassroots machine to back it.
NationPress
4 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Congress Insaaf Rally in Sangrur about?
The Insaaf Rally was a Congress political event held in Sangrur, Punjab on 4 November 2026, addressed by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. It was organised to highlight what Congress described as a governance crisis in Punjab under the AAP government, covering drug addiction, unemployment, and mass migration.
What did Pratap Singh Bajwa say about the AAP government in Punjab?
Bajwa accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of betraying the people of Punjab, alleging that nothing — businesses, families, or lives — was safe under AAP rule. He claimed large-scale migration of educated youth was underway and argued that Congress was the only party capable of rebuilding the state.
What allegations did Congress make about drugs and security in Punjab?
Congress leader Vijay Inder Singla alleged drugs were being sold door to door and that weapons were entering Punjab via drones through international borders, despite BSF deployment. He also criticised the Centre's expansion of BSF jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km, saying it had failed to curb smuggling.
When are the next Punjab assembly elections?
Punjab's next assembly elections are due in 2027. The Sangrur rally signals that Congress has already begun its campaign to reclaim the state, having lost heavily to AAP in the 2022 polls.
Why was Sangrur chosen for the Congress rally?
Sangrur holds symbolic significance as the constituency where AAP's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal contested a parliamentary by-election in 2022 and lost. Congress' choice of the venue is widely seen as a pointed political statement targeting AAP's home turf.
