Congress general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Bhagwant Mann government, alleging a “complete collapse” of law and order and a worsening drug problem in Punjab, while expressing confidence that the Congress would form the next government in the state with a majority. His comments came months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election and shortly after a change at the top of the state Congress.
Speaking to reporters in Tonk, Rajasthan, Pilot alleged that gangsters were openly firing shots in Punjab, people lodged in jails were demanding extortion money and drugs could be delivered to homes after being ordered over the phone. These were allegations made by the Congress leader against the AAP government; Pilot did not cite specific cases while making the remarks reported on Sunday.
“The Bhagwant Mann government has completely failed to handle the situation,” Pilot said, accusing the state administration of failing to contain crime and drug abuse. In a separate interaction on Sunday, he said law and order had “collapsed” and drug addiction had increased manifold under the AAP government.
Pilot said the Congress would take these issues to the people as it prepared for the Assembly election due early next year. He expressed confidence that the party would form the government with a “comfortable majority”, a political claim rather than an assessment of the likely election result.
Pilot’s remarks came two days after the Congress appointed former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. The leadership change followed Pilot’s consultations with senior Punjab Congress leaders after he took charge as the party’s general secretary in-charge of the state in September.
Backing the new state chief, Pilot described Pargat as a “national icon” and said his experience as captain of the Indian hockey team would help him take the organisation forward with an inclusive approach. He said Pargat, along with Congress workers across the state, would work towards strengthening the party ahead of the election.
“Pargat Singh Ji has been a national icon. He served as the captain of the Indian hockey team and is a distinguished sportsperson,” Pilot said. He added that the former Olympian would be able to serve Punjab with the same spirit of inclusivity.
Pilot also acknowledged Warring’s tenure, saying the outgoing state president had worked with dedication for the Congress for around two decades and had tried to strengthen the organisation during his four years at the helm of the Punjab unit. He described leadership changes as inevitable with the passage of time.
Warring had submitted his resignation after meeting Rahul Gandhi on Friday. He subsequently said he had resigned voluntarily, while also suggesting that Pilot may have felt it was inappropriate for him to continue as state president. Warring also remarked that former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi had “won”, against the backdrop of factional differences within the Punjab Congress.
Pargat, 61, is a three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment and represented India at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He captained the national hockey team and later entered politics, initially with the Shiromani Akali Dal before joining the Congress. He has also served as Punjab’s education and sports minister.
His elevation places him at the head of the state organisation just months before the 2027 election. The Congress leadership has retained the existing working presidents as well as the chairpersons and co-chairpersons of its election-related committees, indicating that the change in state president is part of a broader organisational arrangement rather than a complete restructuring.