On Friday in Chandigarh, Bhagwant Mann shot back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had warned that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would be ousted from power in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Mann replied that the people, not a single leader, decide who holds office, adding that the state’s mandate will be judged on the work delivered by his government.
Earlier this month, Shah had asked the Punjab government to hand over investigations into the murders of anti‑drug activists Parminder Singh Jhota, Bikramjit Singh and Gulzar Singh to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing the state's inability to manage the probes. He said the central agency would pursue the culprits regardless of their influence.
Mann said he would continue the war on drugs and urged the central government to focus on law‑enforcement, not politics, as the election campaign builds.
The 2027 Punjab Assembly polls are scheduled for October 2027; both parties are sharpening their messages as voters prepare to decide the state's future.