Political tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress escalated significantly on Thursday, November 5, 2026, following sharp personal allegations made by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Addressing the Congress party’s Insaaf Rally at Phaguwala village in Sangrur district, Gandhi accused the ruling AAP government of failing to tackle Punjab’s rampant drug crisis, while alleging that Chief Minister Mann was himself intoxicated during parliamentary sessions.
Rahul Gandhi Launches Direct Attack in Sangrur
Critiquing AAP’s governance record in Punjab ahead of the upcoming 2027 state assembly elections, Gandhi targeted the Chief Minister over public health, farmer welfare, and administrative control:
- Parliamentary Allegations: “In Lok Sabha, he (Mann) used to crack jokes sitting with us. At 11 am, he smelled of alcohol… If you want to fight drugs, the chief minister can’t get intoxicated every evening,” Gandhi told the gathering, questioning AAP’s anti-narcotics campaign.
- Governance from Delhi: Gandhi further alleged that the current administration in Punjab was being remote-controlled from the capital, stating, “People need a government that works for Punjab—not like AAP, which is run from Delhi. We will run the government from the soil of Punjab.”
AAP Counter-Attack: Hits Back at Congress-BJP ‘Joint Targeting’
Responding swiftly to Gandhi’s comments, AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj labeled the statements as “below-the-belt” and unworthy of a leader of Gandhi’s stature.
Bharadwaj dismissed the personal remarks as baseless political mudslinging, noting that wild allegations are routinely made against opposition figures across the board.
AAP leadership accused both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of singling out Punjab for political attack while ignoring issues in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The fiery exchanges reflect the total breakdown of ties between the two parties following AAP’s formal exit from the opposition INDIA bloc in July 2025.
