Punjab: Rahul Gandhi targets CM Bhagwant Mann over 'Nasha', says AAP govt run from Delhi

New Delhi: Launching the Congress campaign in poll-bound Punjab from chief minister Bhagwant Mann's home district of Sangrur on Wednesday, party leader Rahul Gandhi claimed the Aam Aadmi Party government had failed to eradicate the menace of substance abuse in the state. He said the state cannot fight the addiction issue if its chief minister does "nasha (gets intoxicated) every single evening", claiming that Mann used to "reek of alcohol" when he was a member of the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge also accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of controlling the Mann government from Delhi, saying that only Congress could give the state a government truly run by the leaders of Punjab.

Recalling that AAP formed the government in Punjab by promising to eradicate drugs and alcohol addiction, Gandhi said, "From which corner of Punjab have they managed to remove drugs? They are simply incapable of eradicating this menace. I was in the Lok Sabha with him (Mann). He used to sit with us and tell jokes. By 11 am, you could smell alcohol on his breath. Now, I am not saying that Bhagwant Mann shouldn't drink; that is his personal affair... but if you truly want to fight the menace of substance abuse, your chief minister cannot do nasha every single evening. You need someone who will fight for Punjab, someone who genuinely feels the pain caused by drugs, someone who carries the pain of Punjab in his heart."


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Gandhi also questioned Union home minister Amit Shah's promise to eradicate the drug issue and criminal activity from Punjab by the end of 2029. He asked what action Shah had taken regarding drug seizures at the Mundra port in Gujarat and why he was "maintaining" certain criminals in jail, while claiming that Shah would not even be home minister in three years.

Alleging that the Mann government was being controlled from Delhi by Kejriwal and Shah, Gandhi said, "Right now, the reins of Punjab are being held half by Amit Shah and half by Kejriwal, while Bhagwant Mann just sits there. Punjab is being governed from Delhi... When Congress comes to power, our party will run the Punjab government from Punjab, and our CM will be truly the chief minister of Punjab."