Rahul Gandhi calls PM Modi a 'traitor', says Amit Shah will not be home minister in three years

Neeraj Bali

Chandigarh, Nov 4 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the country and predicted that union Home Minister Amit Shah would no longer hold office in three years, as he launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government and Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at a rally in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district of Sangrur.

Addressing the Congress's "Insaaf Rally" at Phaguwala village, Gandhi accused the central government of compromising national interests and questioned Shah's promise to make Punjab drug-free by December 31, 2029. Gandhi described Modi as a "traitor" and alleged that the prime minister was acting at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump. Referring to Shah's anti-drug deadline, Gandhi said he believed the BJP leader would not remain home minister three years from now. The remarks came as Congress formally launched its campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, seeking to challenge the AAP government on drug trafficking, organised crime, corruption, farmers' grievances and alleged failures of governance. Gandhi devoted a significant part of his address to the killing of Punjabi singer and Congress politician Sidhu Moosewala, inviting the singer's father, Balkaur Singh, onto the stage. Recalling his first meeting with Moosewala, Gandhi said the young musician had visited his office before joining Congress. "He was a dynamic and talented young man," Gandhi said, recalling that he had not heard Moosewala's songs before their meeting. Gandhi said he had been struck by Moosewala's personality and later became concerned about his safety after learning that the singer had received threats. Moosewala was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district in May 2022, months after unsuccessfully contesting the state Assembly elections on a Congress ticket. Gandhi linked the killing to what he described as the growing influence of gangsters and organised crime in Punjab. "What happened to Sidhu Moosewala has become a fashion in Punjab," Gandhi said, alleging that killings and shootings had become increasingly common. He said discussions with Congress leaders before the rally had identified drug abuse as Punjab's most pressing problem. "When the Aam Aadmi Party government came to power, people trusted Bhagwant Mann. They promised to eliminate drugs. Tell me, which drugs have disappeared from Punjab?" Gandhi asked. The Congress leader alleged that the Mann government had failed to honour its commitments and could not be trusted to tackle the narcotics problem. Gandhi also made a personal allegation against Mann, claiming that during his earlier tenure as a member of Parliament, the chief minister had attended proceedings after consuming alcohol. Gandhi said Punjab needed a chief minister who understood the suffering caused by drugs and was committed to tackling the problem. He further alleged that gangsters were being protected inside prisons and questioned the government's handling of law and order. Turning to the state's administration, Gandhi accused AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Shah of exercising influence over Punjab's government. "Punjab's government is being run from Delhi," Gandhi said. He promised that if Congress returned to power, the state's elected chief minister would control the administration rather than political leaders based in Delhi. Gandhi also accused the Mann government of failing to deliver on promises concerning minimum support prices for farmers and financial assistance for women. He said Punjab needed investment in agriculture, industry and manufacturing to generate employment and reduce the conditions that allowed drugs and gangster activity to flourish. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing the same rally, accused the BJP of manipulating elections and alleged that several governments, including the one in Delhi, had come to power through electoral malpractice. "Votes have been stolen in this country, and governments formed through vote theft are ruling in several places," Kharge alleged. Kharge accused the BJP and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), of undermining democratic institutions established after independence. He also attacked the AAP government over alleged corruption and drug trafficking. "I have not seen such a corrupt government in my 60 years of political life," Kharge said, alleging that money collected in Punjab was being transferred to political leaders in Delhi. He described AAP as the BJP's "B-team" and accused it of damaging Congress's electoral prospects in Gujarat and Goa. Urging Congress leaders to remain united, Kharge said the party's campaign for national political change should begin in Punjab. "If we win Punjab, we will win the whole of India," he said. Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot accused Mann of treating serious governance issues lightly. "The chief minister cracks jokes about everything. He does not understand serious issues," Pilot alleged. Pilot said Congress would seek to remove the AAP government in the next Assembly elections, accusing it of failing to control drugs, extortion and gangster violence. Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh alleged that the state had been turned into a "police state" and accused the government of using law enforcement agencies against political opponents. He also issued a warning to police officials over alleged harassment of Congress workers, using language that appeared to threaten officers who targeted party supporters. Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said Congress was the principal alternative to AAP and called for reopening Punjab's international trade routes to improve economic opportunities. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi alleged that several AAP leaders were preparing to leave the country, while former Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring blamed successive governments, including those led by AAP and the Shiromani Akali Dal, as well as the BJP-led central government, for failing to tackle the drug problem. By choosing Sangrur, Mann's home district, Congress sought to bring its campaign directly into territory closely associated with the chief minister, with drugs, law and order, agricultural distress and state autonomy emerging as central themes ahead of the 2027 elections. UNI NB ATP MCR