Sukhbir Badal accuses AAP of ‘scare politics’ as Punjab poll campaign heats up

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of using “scare politics” ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, questioning why the ruling party was warning voters about the consequences of returning the Akalis to power instead of highlighting its own record.

Addressing a ‘Punjab Bachao’ campaign rally in Tarn Taran, Badal alleged that AAP workers had begun distributing pamphlets from door to door in villages to discourage people from voting for the Opposition, particularly the SAD.

The development came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally launched the AAP’s campaign for the 2027 Assembly elections in Ludhiana and released the party’s election pamphlet. The ruling party has begun a statewide door-to-door outreach campaign, with around 2.68 lakh booth committee members tasked with taking its message to households across Punjab.

Badal challenges AAP over drugs and welfare schemes

Badal claimed that AAP's pamphlets warned voters that drugs would “flow freely” if the SAD returned to power. Questioning the argument, he said the state was already facing a serious drug problem and asked what could be worse than a situation in which, according to him, an entire generation was being endangered by drugs.

AAP’s pamphlet has warned that a change in government could put several of its welfare measures at risk. Reports on the campaign say the document refers to free electricity, Aam Aadmi Clinics, financial assistance for women, Teerath Yatra and free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh at private hospitals, among other measures.

Badal disputed the claims concerning medical insurance and the Teerath Yatra scheme. He said both initiatives had been introduced during the SAD’s tenure and accused AAP of misleading voters by suggesting that they would be discontinued if the Akalis returned to power.

He also said the pamphlets claimed no new schools would be opened under an SAD government. Badal dismissed the claim and alleged that the AAP government itself had not opened a single new school.

The SAD leader's comments came as AAP has sought to make its record in government the centrepiece of its 2027 campaign. At the Ludhiana launch, Mann said his government had delivered more than it had promised and urged voters not to change the government.

Amritsar BRTS becomes another point of attack

Badal also targeted the Punjab government over the Amritsar Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), describing the project as an important mass-transit link for the city.

He criticised the move to dismantle the BRTS infrastructure and alleged that the system was being shut down and its assets auctioned at very low prices. The project was originally developed with dedicated bus corridors intended to provide mass public transport in Amritsar.

The Punjab government has approved the removal of the BRTS infrastructure, including the central road corridors, platforms and railings, with electric buses expected to operate on the roads instead. The project was originally associated with the SAD-BJP government and was estimated at around ₹500 crore.

At the same time, government procurement records show that tenders were issued in August and September for street-lighting and commissioning work on BRTS routes, indicating that work relating to the existing routes has continued even as the government moves towards replacing the original system.

Badal also questioned AAP’s references to the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (WPD). He alleged that the pamphlets attacking the SAD did not mention the organisation and claimed that it had been “propped up” by AAP and was being financed through a Mandi Board chief engineer. These were political allegations made by Badal at the rally.

AAP has not accepted the allegations. The issue has become part of the wider political contest surrounding Amritpal Singh-led Waris Punjab De as parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 election.

Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who also addressed the rally, raised the issue of farmers cultivating land beyond the barbed-wire fence along the Pakistan border. He called for an increase in compensation for farmers in the border region who have to cultivate fields located beyond the fencing.

The exchange comes as Punjab's major political parties intensify their outreach ahead of the 2027 Assembly election. AAP has begun its statewide campaign around its governance record, while the SAD is using its ‘Punjab Bachao’ campaign to attack the Mann government on issues including drugs, welfare schemes, infrastructure and farmers’ concerns.