Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of misgovernance and plunging the state into a deep crisis over the last three years.
Addressing a workers’ rally in Kapurthala district, Warring claimed that the AAP regime had brought Punjab to the brink of economic and social collapse, citing rising public debt and a deteriorating law and order situation as glaring failures.
He alleged that Punjab’s debt had crossed ₹4 lakh crore under the AAP rule, making it the most ineffective regime in the state’s history. He also said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would go down as the most incompetent leader Punjab has ever had.
Expressing concern over increasing insecurity, Warring said people across the state were living in fear, with traders and industrialists allegedly receiving extortion calls from gangsters. He added that criminals were operating with impunity, as law enforcement failed to take effective action.
Warring pointed to several recent incidents, including bomb blasts at police stations and outside religious sites, as well as vandalism of statues of B R Ambedkar, as evidence of the breakdown in governance.
He also criticised the recovery of drugs from within the police force, calling it a matter of grave concern. This was in reference to the recent arrest of a woman constable in Bathinda from whom 17 grams of heroin were seized. The constable was later dismissed from service.
Echoing Warring's concerns, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa called for a complete overhaul of the state police force. Bajwa accused the police of being morally corrupt and complicit in criminal activities, including drug trafficking. He demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the Bathinda drug case and insisted that the arrested constable’s connections be fully exposed.
Bajwa also criticized the government’s handling of farmer protests, accusing it of betraying the very community that had put its trust in the AAP. He said farmers who were evicted from the Shambhu and Khanauri border protest sites suffered major losses, including theft of their trolleys and personal belongings during police action.
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Asserting that the Congress party remained united despite misinformation campaigns, Warring accused the AAP of orchestrating a paid media campaign to spread rumors about internal dissent within the Congress. He promised to dismantle what he described as "sleeper cells" of other political parties embedded within the Congress organisation.
He assured party workers that district and block presidents would play a crucial role in candidate selection for the upcoming state elections, although the final call would rest with the party high command.
Warring also highlighted the announcement of Congress working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu as the candidate for the upcoming Ludhiana West by-election. He vowed that the party would contest the seat unitedly and ensure victory with a record margin.
Meanwhile, Bajwa also took aim at the central government, warning minority communities to stay vigilant against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He described the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as a direct assault on minority rights and claimed it exposed the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) intention to undermine constitutional protections for religious communities.
Both leaders expressed their commitment to fighting for justice, social equity, and restoring governance and law and order in Punjab.
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