"Chutkulon Ki Sarkar": In Punjab, Nayab Saini Takes Swipe At Bhagwant Mann

With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections approaching, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini using a public rally in Jalandhar to launch a direct comparison between the governance records of the two neighbouring states.

Taking a sharp dig at Mann, Saini branded the Punjab government a "Chutkulon Ki Sarkar", saying jokes might entertain people in cinema halls but could not run a government. His attack was aimed at questioning the AAP government's performance on employment, drugs, law and order, healthcare and women's welfare while projecting Haryana's BJP government as a governance model for Punjab.

Employment emerged as one of the key points of Saini's attack. He questioned AAP's pre-election promise of providing jobs to 25 lakh youth, contrasting it with Mann's claim of providing around 60,000 government jobs during his tenure. He alleged that deserving candidates had suffered because of corruption and recruitment controversies. In comparison, Saini claimed Haryana had provided more than two lakh government jobs through a transparent recruitment process without "Parchi-Kharchi".

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On the drug menace, Saini accused Mann of failing to fulfil AAP's promise of eliminating drugs within six months of forming the government. He alleged that addiction continued to spread among Punjab's youth due to the government's lack of political will. Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's target of making India drug-free by 2029, Saini warned that drug traffickers would have to abandon their illegal activities or leave Punjab if the BJP formed the government.

Farmers' interests also featured prominently in his political pitch. Saini promised that Haryana's policy of procuring all 24 crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) would be implemented in Punjab under a BJP government.

Taking the healthcare debate to Mann's doorstep, Saini challenged him to disclose the number of Mohalla Clinics established in Punjab and the number of people treated there. Highlighting Haryana's Ayushman Bharat coverage, he claimed that 1.5 crore people had received health cards and 40 lakh beneficiaries had availed free treatment worth Rs 6,000 crore.

Saini also targeted AAP over its promise of Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women in Punjab, alleging that the commitment had been delayed for nearly five years. He contrasted it with Haryana's Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, under which more than 10 lakh women had received financial assistance.

The Jalandhar rally reflected the BJP's emerging strategy for Punjab 2027: using Haryana's governance record to challenge Mann's leadership and position the party as an alternative on jobs, farmers' welfare, women's empowerment and law and order.