Chandigarh — The Punjab Congress stepped up its attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government on Tuesday as party president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring led a large protest in Chandigarh, accusing the state government of failing to control the deteriorating law-and-order situation and address growing public concerns.
A large number of Congress leaders and workers took part in the demonstration, which was aimed at putting pressure on the Bhagwant Mann government over what the opposition described as a growing sense of insecurity among people in Punjab.
The protest turned confrontational when demonstrators attempted to move ahead and Chandigarh Police stopped them by putting up barricades. Water cannons were subsequently used to disperse the protesters, bringing the political confrontation onto the streets of the state capital.
At the centre of the Congress campaign was the issue of law and order. Warring and other party leaders alleged that incidents involving extortion and gangster activity continued to create fear among ordinary residents. They argued that the government’s claims of improved governance had not translated into a greater sense of security on the ground.
Raja Warring emerged as the principal voice of the protest, accusing the AAP government of failing to adequately respond to issues confronting people across the state. Congress leaders also highlighted cases of suicide and other grievances, arguing that the government had not done enough to address the circumstances that, according to them, were contributing to public distress.
Warring also criticised the police response to the demonstration. He alleged that the use of force against protesters reflected an increasingly “authoritarian atmosphere” in Punjab and claimed that the government was attempting to silence those who questioned its functioning.
The Punjab Congress president went further by accusing the AAP government of allegedly providing protection to elements involved in gangster activities. He said the Congress would take stringent action against those responsible if the party returned to power.
The allegations are part of a broader political offensive by the Punjab Congress against the Mann government, with law and order increasingly becoming a key battleground between the ruling AAP and the opposition.
For Warring, Tuesday’s demonstration was not merely a protest against individual incidents but an attempt to frame law and order, public safety and government accountability as central political issues in Punjab. The Congress is seeking to portray the AAP administration as increasingly disconnected from the concerns of ordinary people, while positioning itself as a stronger alternative on security and governance.
The protest also underlined the intensifying political contest in Punjab, where both the ruling AAP and opposition parties are seeking to establish credibility on issues that directly affect voters. For the Congress, Raja Warring’s leadership of the agitation provides an opportunity to sharpen the party’s attack on the Mann government and consolidate its opposition campaign around public safety and accountability.
The Punjab government has yet to accept the opposition’s characterisation of the law-and-order situation, and the competing claims are likely to remain a significant part of the political debate as the Congress continues its campaign against the AAP administration.
