CHANDIGARH: Ending speculations over alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the forthcoming 2027 assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today, without naming any party, said that the saffron party will now contest the next assembly polls to form its own government.
He also promised to introduce a stringent law against forced religious conversions if the party forms the government.
Addressing the 'Badlaav’ rally in the Killi Chahlan village at Moga, wearing a saffron turban, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Punjab has given many chances to Congress, Akalis and AAP, and should now give the BJP a chance. He added that the party will contest solo to form its own government in the state.
Shah, without naming any party, said, "Earlier, whenever we contested in Punjab, we came here as chhota bhai (younger brother). But today, let me clarify that we will contest in Punjab to form our own government in 2027. We are starting our preparations for the Punjab Assembly elections from today.’’
Announcing two major promises if the BJP comes to power in 2027 in Punjab, Shah announced that they will end the drug menace in the state within two years of forming the government and will bring an anti-conversion law to stop forceful religious conversions.
"We scrapped Article 370 in J&K. Today, Naxalism is on the verge of its end. If Punjab has to be rid of the drug menace, it needs the BJP's double-engine government. Today, Punjab has been destroyed due to debt, drugs, religious conversions, corruption and terror of gangsters, ‘’ he said, adding that industry is leaving the state.
He said that if anybody can free the state from drugs, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party. "I have come to seek blessings from the people of Punjab, including mothers, sisters and the elderly. Give us your blessings. If there is anyone who can rid the state of the drug menace, it is only Narendra Modi and the BJP,’’ he said.
Shah said the Bhagwant Mann government is steeped in corruption and has become an "ATM" for party chief Arvind Kejriwal, he said, attacking the AAP leadership, alleging that the Punjab government is being run from Delhi.
Shah said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spends his time accompanying AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to political events across the country at the expense of the state exchequer.
"The Aam Aadmi Party came to power on the promise of change. I want to ask the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party: What exactly is your Chief Minister doing? Across the entire country, wherever Kejriwal needs to travel, this Chief Minister has done nothing other than chartering aircraft at the Punjab government's expense and flying him there as his personal pilot," Shah said.
Shah said that the polls are going to take place in 2027, and from Moga, the BJP, in a way, has launched its poll campaign. He began his address with spirited slogans: “Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal,” “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
Amit Shah asserted that 'Hindu-Sikh Ekta' (unity) is the bedrock of Punjab's progress. He maintained that only a BJP government in 2027 could ensure this social cohesion.
Shah alleged that farmers are struggling and industries are leaving Punjab, blaming successive governments of the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and AAP for the situation. Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Shah said the BJP secured around 19 per cent of the vote share in Punjab and claimed that wherever the party reaches such a level of support, it eventually goes on to form the government.
Punjab BJP leaders welcomed Shah on stage, where state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar took his seat along with other senior leaders. Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh was notably absent from the event, sparking speculation in political circles.
While Amarinder did not attend the rally, his wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur and daughter Jai Inder Kaur were present at the venue.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu asserted that residents of the state were now seeking a “double-engine government”, referring to BJP governments both at the Centre and in the state.
Bittu credited Shah’s leadership for expanding the BJP’s political footprint across the country and said that wherever the party governs, it strives to fulfil public expectations.
Taking a swipe at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, he alleged that the administration’s financial policies—guided by party chief Arvind Kejriwal—have pushed the state into a financial crisis.