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Outreach programme: Cong to hold 3-day yatras across state next week
Baghel said the yatras would focus on reaching the maximum number of people in each constituency, understanding their issues and expectations and mobilising support at the grassroots level. He added that there were suggestions for the leader of opposition to attend the concluding programmes of the yatras
CHANDIGARH: Congress’ general secretary in-charge of Punjab Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday announced that the party will hold three-day yatras in all 117 assembly constituencies of Punjab as part of its outreach programme ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
The announcement was made after a daylong brainstorming session of the Punjab Congress, presided over by Baghel and attended by senior leaders from across the state.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Baghel said the yatras would focus on reaching the maximum number of people in each constituency, understanding their issues and expectations and mobilising support at the grassroots level. He added that there were suggestions for the leader of opposition to attend the concluding programmes of the yatras.
Before launching the yatras, the Congress will also release a “chargesheet” against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, Baghel said.
He said that the meeting discussed the “sorry state of affairs” in Punjab, alleging “widespread corruption, deteriorating law and order, and a growing sense of insecurity among people”.
Responding to questions on recent blasts in Punjab, Baghel said both the state and central governments were responsible for maintaining security and should be held accountable.
On the arrest of Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate, Baghel said both the BJP and the AAP were using investigation agencies to target political opponents. He claimed that while the BJP uses central agencies like the ED at the national level, the AAP government uses vigilance agencies against rivals in Punjab.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also accused the BJP and AAP of “playing games” to mislead the people of the state. Referring to allegations made by the chief minister against the BJP over twin blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar, Warring questioned why no action was being taken despite repeated accusations.
Commenting on Arora’s arrest, Warring said that earlier the ED had raided Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, who later joined the BJP. He alleged that while the AAP government misused the police and vigilance machinery against opponents in Punjab, the BJP was similarly targeting AAP leaders through central agencies.
Warring asserted that the people of Punjab would not be misled by what he termed the “politics” of the BJP and AAP and would instead trust those who had governed the state effectively in the past.
He said Congress workers were prepared for the “decisive battle” of the 2027 assembly elections and that the party would neither be intimidated by the ED nor by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
