Killi Chahlan (Moga), March 14
Putting an end to speculation about a possible reconciliation with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the 2027 Punjab assembly elections independently. Declaring that the BJP is no longer willing to play the role of ‘Chhota Bhai’ (Junior Partner) in the state, Shah kicked off a high voltage campaign from the politically crucial Malwa region, vowing to deliver a double engine government that would free Punjab from the grip of drugs and mounting debt.
Speaking at the Badlaav Rally in Killi Chahlan, Moga, Shah declared that the BJP will no longer play second fiddle in Punjab politics. He reminded the gathering that in the past the party had always been the junior partner but from today it begins its campaign to form its own government in the state. Urging voters to look beyond the Congress, the Akalis and AAP, Shah appealed to give the BJP a chance. He also underscored the party’s 19 per cent vote share formula and its stand against religious conversions as central planks of the campaign.
Shah drew on the BJP’s 2024 Lok Sabha performance – where the party secured 19 per cent of the vote in Punjab despite failing to win a seat as the foundation for his 2027 campaign pitch. To energize party workers, he pointed to past examples where the BJP converted similar vote shares into full-fledged governments in states such as Assam, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Manipur. Seeking to consolidate the Hindu and urban electorate, Shah pledged that the first legislative move of a BJP government in Punjab would be the introduction of an anti‑conversion Bill. He invoked the sacrifices of Sikh Gurus against forced conversions, accusing the Congress and AAP of treating those responsible as a vote bank. Making a major promise, Shah announced, “Give us the mandate in 2027 and within a month of taking office we will bring an anti‑conversion Bill.”
Launching a sharp offensive against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government, Shah accused the chief minister of abandoning Punjab’s interests to serve his party boss. He alleged that Mann functions merely as a pilot, ferrying AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal across the country on state-funded aircraft, turning Punjab’s exchequer into an ‘ATM’ for AAP’s national ambitions.
Addressing the state’s grave drug crisis, Shah cited reports indicating that nearly 45 per cent of heroin smuggling in India is linked to Punjab. He pledged that within two years of a BJP government, the drug trade would be eradicated, drawing comparisons to the Centre’s decisive action against Naxalism and the abrogation of Article 370.
