Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Pargat Singh on why Punjab needs a change in governance, the drug menace, the state’s mounting debt, and Congress’s efforts to overcome factionalism. The conversation was moderated by Manoj CG, Chief of National Bureau, Politics, The Indian ExpressMy strength in sports was that I watched everyone from behind. And whenever I was required to attack, I did. I do not have that feeling of being on the defensive because I know I have to lead this to a conclusion: that we should not only form the government in Punjab, but also successfully run it. That is the fundamental idea behind it.Manoj CG: Another argument behind your selection as State Congress President is that all the other senior leaders — be it Partap Singh Bajwa, Charanjit Singh Channi or Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa — are in the race for the Chief Minister’s post. You are known across Punjab as a leader with a clean image, but without an eye on the CM’s post. How do you see this?It is not about the CM’s post; it is about saving Punjab. Punjab does not tolerate politics of nafrat (hatred) or looters. The chair is not a big deal to me. The team, Punjab and the Congress as a vehicle to serve Punjab, are paramount. Given Punjab’s current condition, that chair is not ordinary. It is not even a bed of thorns but like sitting on spikes from every angle, whether it is law and order, drugs or mismanagement. The model the BJP implemented in Delhi is almost exactly what the Aam Aadmi Party adopted in Punjab. It does not suit Punjab. We must demolish it and establish true democracy. Its beauty lies in its four pillars. If even one turns dictatorial, surrenders or becomes a puppet, democracy ceases to exist and becomes dictatorship. The country is heading towards dictatorship. Every person and institution must perform their duty honestly. That is what democracy means.Manoj CG: In the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, Congress barred sitting Lok Sabha MPs from contesting, ultimately selecting elected MLA VD Satheesan as CM over MP KC Venugopal. Given this precedent of prioritising local legislative talent, should Punjab’s prominent Lok Sabha MPs contest the upcoming state elections?That is purely the party’s decision, and it differs from time to time and place to place. I am not rigid about anything. When we sit together, if MPs wish to contest and the requirement exists, it may happen; if there is no requirement, it might not. It depends entirely on the party high command.Manraj Grewal Sharma: CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP rely heavily on free electricity and monthly grants for women to win elections. Wherever he goes, Mann warns, ‘If you vote us out, all this will end’. How do you counter this? Secondly, AAP and BJP are foregrounding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, invoking Rajiv Gandhi’s remarks and saying, ‘Congress equals 1984. Can you forgive them?’ Yesterday, as you held your ‘Insaaf rally’, they organised a day-long ‘Zakhm ’84 de’ conclave, where many in the audience broke down. How do you counter these two narratives?Regarding 1984, everyone agrees it was wrong; no one defends it. Even our former Prime Minister apologised on the floor of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi acknowledged in the US that it was galat (wrong). As for AAP, they hand out khairat (charity); we will make it a right. Furthermore, they talk about Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,500, but today, talk to our women whose children have fallen victim to drugs and gang violence, pulling our society to its lowest point; ask them what they want. Everyone in Punjab wants security. Even petty shopkeepers receive extortion calls. This is all organised under the patronage of the BJP and AAP. They turned the land of gurus, pirs, fakirs into jungle raj where nobody is heard. Punjab Police is capable, but they need leadership — a political leader with will and whom we can control. Having served as a police officer and Director, Sports, I understand civil and police administration inside out, and thus, I know what needs to be done. People are exhausted with jumle (empty slogans) and chutkule (jokes). You cannot feed someone’s stomach with jokes nor heal their pain. Currently, three dead bodies lie in mortuaries in Punjab because Bhagwant Mann turned Punjab into a police state. I used to tell their MLAs too that you are under so much pressure from the AAP Delhi team. People chose you, people chose Punjabis, you spoke of change… We recently held our rally in Sangrur — their political backyard. If 500 people were inside the hall, double that number stood outside. Punjab never gives a fractured verdict; it gives a clear mandate. This time, from what I can see, AAP will crumble like a mound of sand. Punjab mein purely Congress ki sarkaar aane wali hai.Manraj Grewal Sharma: Leading economists of Punjab say that Punjab’s fiscal health is in the ICU and it has been a slide for over a decade. How do you plan to counter that? If you intend to bring free power and grants to women, how do you plan to manage Punjab’s finances?I have consulted numerous experts. I’m very clear: once we form the government, every ministry will have dedicated domain experts. Bureaucrats are not masters of every field, nor do I claim expertise over every subject. Our manifesto committee and experts are designing viable schemes to pull Punjab out of this. Yes, right now the financial position of Punjab is not very good. Punjab’s debt was Rs 2.82 lakh crore before this government took over, and now it stands near Rs 4.47 lakh crore. Had the High Court not intervened to scrap their land pooling policy, they would have looted another Rs 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 crore. By managing governance professionally, we can overcome this. Yes, there will be problems because a state which does not have law and order, which has young people but not appropriate education, agriculture sector has issues, where agrarian diversification is needed and debt must be addressed too. I always see the glass as half full, because there is always a solution.Vikas Pathak: Over the past few days, as pollution spiked in Delhi, the BJP alleged that Punjab’s stubble burning is responsible. Do you think that is a justified claim?When AAP was in Delhi, they blamed Punjab. Now BJP is in Delhi, and they blame Punjab. I had this analysed technically: winds do not blow from Punjab towards Delhi in a way that pollutes Delhi; Delhi produces vast pollution of its own. Pollution is a problem and I do not support it but the technology to manage it exists. Bhagwant Mann constantly claimed they brought technology and set up factories, but on the ground, theirs is merely a “scripted government” that manufactures events, reels, and media trials. You are one of the media houses which isn’t affected by them. But the controlled media outlets spread these taglines. If politicians, bureaucrats, and the judiciary share blame for the nation’s state, media houses that sold out for money share equal responsibility. Pollution, be it of any type, political or bureaucratic, is causing a loss to our country. We are trying our best to eradicate all types of pollution from Punjab.Story continues below this adVikas Pathak: There has been a lot of discussion by the BJP and Congress over the drug menace in Punjab. How serious is the problem on the ground, and if the Congress were to come to power, what would be your roadmap to counter it?There are two things: administrative and social. Administratively, black sheep within the police will be dealt with just like drug smugglers. Officers who have fallen victim to addiction will be rehabilitated. Socially, our youth lacks education aligned with modern industrial demands and are not placeable there.There are three types of drugs: costly narcotics like heroin/smack; synthetic drugs involving certain pharmaceutical units; and diverted pharmaceutical drugs. In Baddi (Himachal Pradesh), factories operating under the government’s nose manufacture tablets with 300 mg doses where only 75 mg is permitted. AAP’s own Health Minister, Balbir Singh, is a doctor by profession, yet on the floor of the house an AAP MLA revealed that procurement of de-addiction pills jumped from four crore tablets in 2022 to almost 12 crore today. They say humne nasha band karwa diya, but they run a scripted facade, and they don’t have any vision to eradicate it; we do.Nitin Sharma: Punjab is hosting the Asian Champions Trophy after 17 years. Sporting ties with Pakistan did not participate remain frozen. Cricket teams avoided handshakes, whereas hockey players still stuck to basic sportsmanship during Asian Games. How do you see this?I think this is being unnecessarily politicised. Ultimately, every conflict is settled across a table. Sports fosters humanity, where merit matters above caste or religion. Those who are good for the team should be brought forward; others should be encouraged to work harder and compete. The BJP government has spread an atmosphere of hatred in recent years, but as a sportsperson, I believe in judging people by their contribution, not their identity.Sukhbir Siwach: Why is there an impression that Congress leaders will inevitably end up fighting among themselves?This tagline started 13 years ago. If you repeatedly call a thief a saint, they begin to appear like one. Look at what has happened in this country. On one side is the dictatorship of Modi and Amit Shah, and on the other, that of Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. I don’t consider either dictatorship a democracy. Internal democracy must exist. I was an MLA during Captain Amarinder Singh’s regime. When he did something wrong, I wrote to him and told him personally. When he didn’t listen, I went to the public. In a democracy, if I cannot put forward my logical point, it is not democracy. Why call this a democratic country rather than a dictatorship? People chose Punjabis, but they didn’t know they were so spineless and would surrender like this. No one becomes Bhagat Singh merely by tying Bhagat Singh’s turban. He fought against foreign rulers, against those who were said to be “the empire on which the sun never sets”. These are a few brokers who came from Delhi purely to loot. They looted and left, leaving Bhagwant Mann to face the consequences, since his signatures aren’t on the documents. But having served in the police, I know how to bring them to account. Manish Sisodia, said in a meeting that “To win the 2027 assembly elections, we will do whatever it takes — saam, daam, dand, bhed, sach, jhooth, question, answer, ladai, jhagda, jo karna padega, karenge.” He said we will show you how it is done, while AAP women and leaders clapped and laughed. Is this democracy?Story continues below this adSukhbir Siwach: AAP has fielded new faces and candidates from modest backgrounds, like someone who repaired bicycle punctures. As elections approach, will your party try similar experiments?I myself come from an ordinary household and a small farming family. Working hard and progressing is in everyone’s mind. I am not against a puncture repairer, but candidates must be intelligent. Whether they are poor or rich, they should be dedicated to the state and country. Our country of 140–145 crore people faces many problems but they are entangled in caste and religion. Hitler used the same model of religion and media control. This is happening in the country. History shows this cannot be sustained.Liz Mathew: BJP leaders in Punjab are discussing a potential alliance with SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal). Some leaders are saying that both the parties cannot stand alone and win the election. What impact would this alliance have on Punjab’s electoral scene?Both previously had an alliance and it caused immense damage to Punjab, which the people have not forgotten. Alliances are their prerogative and decisions, but Akali Dal’s vote bank is the farming community, which is deeply upset with both the BJP and AAP. Sukhbir (Singh Badal) is pleading for an alliance, while BJP is assessing. I worry that if they become allies, they will sink further down the drain. Good luck to them; we are ready to play against any team.Liz Mathew: The Congress-led opposition has been protesting regarding the SIR process and the Election Commission? How will these developments affect Punjab elections?Regarding Form 6 amended by the Election Commission, it was neither passed in Parliament nor was it directed by the Supreme Court. A theft is theft, whether it is big or small. You might remember that they suspended 160 MPs from Parliament to pass a bill protecting the Election Commission from prosecution. It was because they were apprehensive that the EC could not be prosecuted; that is why all this mess happened. All these elections that have happened were pre-planned in their mind. In politics, issuing and amending that form without parliamentary or judicial authority is illegal. In Punjab, bureaucrats issued letters instructing lower officials, but that doesn’t make the law right.Kanchan Vasdev: Are you in the race for CM. If not, who do you think is the best suited for that role in Congress?I am not in a position to say. Ultimately, we have a democratic setup where elected MLAs and high command observers sit together and discuss after elections.Story continues below this adKanchan Vasdev: Is Congress missing Captain Amarinder Singh?I don’t think so.Vandita Mishra: In the 2022 election, voters were fed up with both the Congress and Akali Dal, believing the two colluded behind the scenes while fighting publicly. AAP swept in on the promise of change. Now, you say people are disillusioned with AAP too, but the problems that existed then remain. Meanwhile, Congress has done little to reinvent itself — the same faces, the same rhetoric and persistent infighting. What are the two or three things Congress needs to do to convince people it can be trusted again?I agree with you. At that time, such an atmosphere was created. But today, there is a credibility crisis across leadership in all parties. So perhaps that is why a person like me has come to this position. There will also be many new faces, many experienced people who are completely clean. I cannot claim that we will achieve 100 per cent perfection — that doesn’t happen in politics. But people will see credibility and seriousness. Because I am not someone who makes jokes or throws around empty slogans.