The Congress formally blew the poll bugle in Punjab on Wednesday. At its "Insaaf Rally" in Sangrur, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge launched the campaign for the 2027 Assembly elections, making the drug crisis, unemployment and the Aam Aadmi Party government's record the centrepiece of their pitch.
The choice of Sangrur was pointed. The district is Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's political home turf, and the Congress used the stage to argue that the AAP has failed the state it promised to transform.
Rahul Gandhi: "Chitta" is now Punjab's biggest issue
Rahul Gandhi opened by reminding the crowd that he had warned about drugs spreading in Punjab years ago, when, he said, his rivals in the BJP and Akali Dal mocked him for not understanding the state. Today, he said, "chitta", the local term for adulterated heroin, has become a major issue in almost every household.
He accused the AAP government of being "run from Delhi" and asked the crowd to list which of its poll promises had actually been delivered. Punjab, he argued, needs a government that works for Punjabis, and he urged voters to back the Congress for jobs and a drug-free state.
He also turned his fire on the Centre, challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate on the BJP's charge that the Congress is "anti-national". "Come anywhere, sit with me and debate," he said, alleging that his microphone is switched off and he is not allowed to speak in Parliament.
The Moosewala moment
The most emotional part of the rally came when Rahul Gandhi spoke about singer Sidhu Moosewala, who had joined the Congress before he was shot dead in Mansa district on May 29, 2022. Rahul recalled meeting him and said Moosewala's security had been withdrawn before the killing. He brought Moosewala's father, Balkaur Singh, on stage. Reports from the venue said he changed his planned speech after meeting the singer's father.
Kharge: "We will win Punjab"
Mallikarjun Kharge struck a confident note, assuring Rahul Gandhi from the stage that the Congress would win Punjab. He described the AAP as the BJP's "B team", arguing that it splits the Congress vote and helps the BJP. He also said Rahul Gandhi faces more than 24 FIRs while gangsters in Punjab go unpunished, and called on party workers to stay united.
State leaders followed the same line. PCC chief Pargat Singh called Punjab a "police state" and blamed the AAP for drug deaths, while former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who received a long ovation, launched a sharp personal attack on Bhagwant Mann.
Who was on stage
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Congress Insaaf Rally |
| Venue | Sangrur, Punjab |
| Date | Wednesday, November 4, 2026 |
| Main speakers | Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Punjab in-charge | Sachin Pilot |
| State leaders present | Pargat Singh, Partap Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Vijay Inder Singla |
| Main issues raised | Drugs (chitta), jobs, law and order, AAP's poll promises |
| Election | Punjab Assembly polls due in early 2027 |
What it means for Punjab politics
The rally signals that the Congress wants to position itself as the main challenger to the AAP, which swept the 2022 Assembly polls. By putting drugs and the Moosewala killing front and centre, the party is targeting two issues that strike a deep emotional chord in Punjab, especially among young voters and rural families.
The show of unity on stage also matters. Punjab Congress has struggled with infighting in the past, and having Pilot, Channi, Bajwa, Warring and Randhawa together was clearly meant to send a message that the party is going into the election as one unit.
For the AAP, the challenge will be to defend its record on law and order and drugs, while the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal are also expected to step up their own outreach as the election draws closer. The rally came a day after Home Minister Amit Shah offered to convene a special Parliament session to debate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, another issue the opposition has been raising nationally.
What happens next
With the Assembly elections due early next year, the Sangrur rally is only the opening shot. The real test for the Congress will be carrying this energy beyond one big event into Punjab's Malwa, Majha and Doaba regions. The AAP, meanwhile, can be expected to hit back at the personal attacks on the Chief Minister, setting the stage for a heated campaign in the months ahead.
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