Leader of Opposition in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, alleging that democracy in the state is being systematically subverted through fear, coercion, and the open use of gangsters to influence even the smallest electoral processes.
While congratulating Congress leaders Sukhdev Singh Happy and Simranjit Kaur on their victory as Chairman and Vice Chairman of Kahnuwan Block Samiti, Bajwa said the achievement stands in stark contrast to the “dark and dangerous manipulation” witnessed in the Dhariwal Block Samiti elections.
Bajwa claimed that elected members were subjected to life-threatening calls from a notorious gangster reportedly operating from Portugal. Members were warned of dire consequences, including harm to their families, if they voted for the Congress nominee.
“This is not just intimidation—this is the criminal capture of democracy,” Bajwa said.
“For the first time in Punjab’s history, even block samiti elections are being dictated by gangsters issuing death threats. This is a chilling and unprecedented collapse of democratic norms.”
He further asserted that when such threats directly benefit AAP candidates, “it is obvious to every Punjabi who is pulling the strings.” Bajwa alleged that the ruling party cannot escape responsibility when the beneficiary of these threats is clearly AAP.
“Who asked the gangster to make these calls? Who benefits from these threats? The answer is no brainer. This is not a coincidence—it is collusion,” Bajwa charged.
Bajwa said he immediately escalated the matter to the Punjab Police DGP and the Gurdaspur SSP, sharing all details of the threats. “Yet, as expected under this regime, there has been deafening silence and zero action. This inaction is not incompetence; it reeks of complicity,” he said.
Targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Bajwa said that as the Home Minister of the state, the responsibility for this total breakdown of law and order rests squarely on his shoulders.
“Bhagwant Mann has completely failed Punjab. When gangsters sitting abroad can dictate voting patterns in local bodies, it is clear that the state is no longer being governed by law, but by fear,” he said.
Bajwa further alleged that the AAP leadership is executing a calculated political strategy based on “Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed,” a tactic suggested by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia.
“This is not governance—this is a well-planned strategy to capture power by any means necessary, including threats, coercion, and criminal elements,” he added.
In protest against this brazen intimidation and the murder of democratic values, Congress members chose to abstain from voting in the Dhariwal Block Samiti elections.
Bajwa warned that if such trends continue unchecked, it will set a dangerous precedent where democratic institutions at every level are held hostage by criminals.
“Punjab is being pushed into a dark era where ballots are being replaced by bullets. The people must ask—was this the ‘badlav’ promised by Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal, or is this the complete betrayal of Punjab’s democratic spirit?” Bajwa concluded.
Bajwa also issued a stern warning to the state machinery, stating that officers who are today ignoring the fear and anguish of ordinary Punjabis—who feel unsafe for themselves and their families—will be held accountable once Congress forms the government in 2027. “By turning a blind eye, these officers are not merely disobeying their duty; they are acting as silent partners in the systematic destruction of Punjab’s law and order,” he added.
