Rahul Gandhi will be PM in 2029, Congress will form Punjab govt in 2027: Pargat Singh

Sangrur. Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh on Wednesday warned DGP Gaurav Yadav that the party would not let the police go after its workers, as the Congress held its Insaf Rally in Sangrur, the political stronghold of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

“We will not allow the police to target Congress workers with impunity,” Pargat Singh said from the stage.

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president said the party aims to come to power in Punjab in the 2027 Assembly elections and see Rahul Gandhi become Prime Minister in 2029. The rally, addressed by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, marked the start of the Congress campaign for the 2027 polls.

Pargat Singh said people voted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to power five years ago hoping for change. He alleged that the state is now battling drugs, gangsterism, unemployment and a poor law and order situation. The AAP government, he said, “will have to answer the people’s questions”.

On the farm front, Pargat Singh claimed that nearly 25 per cent of the paddy crop is still lying in Punjab’s mandis. He said complaints were coming in that procurement agencies had stopped buying the crop, leaving farmers unable to sell their produce.

He alleged that Punjab’s politics was being run from Delhi by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. The state leadership, he said, was following orders from Delhi instead of understanding the feelings and identity of Punjabis.

“Punjabis are a community that stands firm and fights for its rights, rather than living in fear,” he said.

Pargat Singh said the Mann government would have to answer for the problems created by its own decisions. He demanded accountability on the drug trade and the public health system, and held the state Health Minister responsible for both.

He also accused the BJP-led Centre of treating Punjab unfairly. He referred to the row over the alleged failure to provide a proper place for the last rites of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, and to an issue involving a former Air Chief Marshal. He said these incidents raised serious questions about the Centre’s attitude towards Punjab.

Speaking on media freedom, he said pressure on the press and attempts to silence people’s voices were a concern for democracy. He urged journalists to do their work without fear as the fourth pillar of democracy.

Wrapping up his speech, Pargat Singh turned to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and said the people of Punjab wanted nothing more than respect, affection and equal treatment. He said it was time for Punjabis to seek an account of the past five years and put the state back on the path of development, peace and prosperity. The rally, he said, had strengthened the party’s resolve to win Punjab in 2027 and make Rahul Gandhi Prime Minister in 2029.