Rahul Gandhi Questions Mann Govt Over Anti-Drug Activists, AAP Hits Backਰਾਹੁਲ ਗਾਂਧੀ ਨੇ ਨਸ਼ਾ-ਵਿਰੋਧੀ ਕਾਰਕੁਨਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੁਰੱਖਿਆ ’ਤੇ ਮਾਨ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਘੇਰਿਆ, ਆਪ ਦਾ ਪਲਟਵਾਰ

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, October 15, 2026 accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of failing to protect people who speak out against drugs, and the AAP hit back within hours, telling him to put his own party in order first, according to PTI and ANI reports.

What did Rahul Gandhi say?

In a post on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said raising a voice against drugs in Punjab had become life-threatening under the AAP government. He cited the killing in Mansa of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, who ran a campaign for stopping drugs and providing jobs and was shot in broad daylight, with the incident captured on a Facebook Live broadcast.

Gandhi also cited two cases from Sangrur, the chief minister's home district: labourer Gulzar Singh, whose family alleges he was pressured to apologise after raising the drug issue before a minister and later died by suicide, and Mohanjeet Singh, where allegations of custodial torture are now before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He alleged that when Jhota complained to police, a case was later filed against Jhota himself, and asked who would protect those fighting drugs.

How did the AAP respond?

The AAP, also on X, accused the Congress leadership of double standards. It said the Mann government is taking strict action against drug traffickers, while Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh, in its telling, has stood in support of suspects and undermined enforcement. The party asked Gandhi whether he could not see that, or was choosing not to, and told him to ask his own state president where he stands before lecturing Punjab on drugs.

Why does this exchange matter?

The war of words came on the day Punjab observed a statewide bandh over the Jhota killing, with markets and private schools shut in several districts. With a Punjab Assembly election due by early 2027, drugs and law and order are emerging as central campaign issues, and Thursday's exchange shows both national parties framing the Jhota case for that contest.

Who is Parvinder Singh Jhota?

An anti-drug activist from Mansa who campaigned under the slogan of stopping drugs and providing jobs. He was shot dead at a chemist shop in Mansa on Tuesday, an incident that triggered protests and Thursday's bandh.

What did the AAP accuse Pargat Singh of?

The AAP alleged that the Punjab Congress president has repeatedly stood in support of drug traffickers and undermined the government's anti-drug enforcement. The Congress has not, in the reports cited here, replied to that specific charge.