Rahul Gandhi attacks Punjab AAP government at Sangrur rally

Rahul Gandhi used an Insaaf Rally in Sangrur on November 4 to accuse Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to curb drug abuse and to allege that leaders in Delhi controlled the state’s administration. He also challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s pledge to make Punjab drug-free within three years and made a personal allegation about Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s conduct in Parliament. Gandhi said he had smelled alcohol on Mann’s breath during their time together in the Lok Sabha, recalling that Mann would sit with colleagues and tell jokes. Gandhi said drinking was Mann’s personal choice, but questioned whether a chief minister could lead efforts against substance abuse if he was under the influence in the evenings. The reports provide no independent evidence for the allegation or response from Mann or the AAP. He criticised the AAP government for promising to eliminate drugs and asked where in Punjab it had done so. Gandhi described chitta, or adulterated heroin, alongside synthetic and medical drugs as concerns, and said the state needed leadership that understood the effects of addiction. These were campaign remarks; the rally reports did not independently...