CHANDIGARH: Saptrishi Soni l
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s prediction that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be voted out of power in the 2027 Assembly elections, saying the state’s political future will be determined by voters rather than declarations made by political leaders. “Well, it won’t happen just because Amit Shah says so; it will happen based on what the people say,” Mann told ANI in Chandigarh on Friday, as the exchange between the BJP and AAP leadership intensified ahead of the next Assembly election. Shah had claimed that the AAP government would be removed from power and that an NDA government would take its place in Punjab, making the state’s drug problem a major part of his political attack. Mann, meanwhile, sought to turn the debate towards the Opposition’s record on drugs and its conduct during the ongoing Punjab Vidhan Sabha session. He alleged that Opposition parties were trying to disrupt Assembly proceedings and could then accuse the government of failing to convene the House, adding that they had not adequately accounted to the people of Punjab for their own actions and past record. The Chief Minister also raised the issue of drug trafficking, claiming that a significant quantity of drugs was coming through Gujarat and describing the matter as a serious concern requiring attention. His remarks reflect the AAP government’s response to the BJP’s charge that drug trafficking has flourished under the present administration. The claim about Gujarat was made by Mann and should be distinguished from independently established findings about the origins and routes of drugs entering Punjab. Mann further alleged that drug networks had flourished during the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government and said people in Punjab continued to suffer the consequences of the drug problem. The BJP, in turn, has made the issue central to its campaign, accusing the AAP government of failing to contain the trade and promising to eradicate the menace if voted to power. The confrontation comes as drugs, law and order, accountability and the performance of successive governments are becoming increasingly prominent in the political debate ahead of the 2027 polls. For Mann, the election will ultimately be a judgement on the work of his government; for Shah and the BJP, the drug crisis is a key argument against the AAP’s continuation in office. With both sides sharpening their attacks, Punjab’s voters will be asked to assess the competing claims against the record of governments past and present, the effectiveness of action against drug networks and the results delivered on the ground.
