Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Punjab Parties Clash at Baba Bakala Ahead of 2027 Polls
Baba Bakala is an important Sikh pilgrimage town in Punjab.
During the Rakhar Punia festival, several political parties held separate meetings there.
The parties used the meetings to criticize one another and explain their plans for Punjab.
Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and his government.
Mann defended his government by pointing to welfare payments for women and other development work.
The BJP accused the state government of mishandling flood relief and not using a crop-insurance scheme.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal attacked a rival group linked with Amritpal Singh.
That rival group proposed special anti-drug teams that would report directly to the chief minister.
Major Punjab parties held separate conferences in Baba Bakala during the Rakhar Punia festival ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi attacked Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and criticized the absence of state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
Mann highlighted welfare measures, including Rs 181.5 crore for 5.3 lakh additional women beneficiaries, while accusing rivals of political and religious exploitation.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders criticized the Aam Aadmi Party government over flood relief, crop insurance and housing, while outlining plans for farming and security.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal attacked rival Panthic groups, while Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) presented an autonomous anti-drug task-force proposal.
- Who
- The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal and Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), along with their senior leaders.
- What
- The parties held parallel political conferences and exchanged attacks, welfare claims and policy proposals ahead of Punjab’s 2027 Assembly elections.
- When
- On Friday, during the annual Rakhar Punia festival, months before the elections described in the article as the 2027 polls.
- Where
- Baba Bakala in Amritsar district, Punjab.
- Why
- The conferences were used to mobilize supporters, define political positions and challenge rivals before the next Assembly election.
Government and ruling-party claims
Opposition and rival-party claims
Punjab’s governance record
Government and ruling-party claims
Bhagwant Singh Mann said the Aam Aadmi Party government was delivering development and welfare initiatives and dismissed Congress as lacking a coherent vision.
Opposition and rival-party claims
Congress and BJP leaders accused the Mann government of corruption, administrative failures and inadequate flood-relief and housing responses.
Agriculture and flood protection
Government and ruling-party claims
BJP leaders said Punjab’s farmers should have benefited from the PM Fasal Bima Yojana and argued that the state government failed to act quickly after floods.
Opposition and rival-party claims
Bhagwant Singh Mann’s government emphasized its own welfare and development work; the article does not provide a detailed response from AAP to the BJP’s crop-insurance allegations.
Panthic politics and religious issues
Government and ruling-party claims
Mann accused the SAD of historical wrongdoing linked to sacrilege incidents and criticized its reported effort to rebuild ties with the BJP.
Opposition and rival-party claims
Sukhbir Singh Badal accused agencies and rival Panthic groups of weakening the SAD, while Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) presented itself as focused on the drug crisis and proposed independent anti-narcotics teams.
- Event
- Parallel political conferences during the Rakhar Punia festival
- Location
- Baba Bakala, Amritsar district, Punjab
- Election
- Punjab Assembly elections scheduled for 2027
- AAP welfare announcement
- Rs 181.5 crore to be distributed in three-month instalments to 5.3 lakh additional women beneficiaries
- Congress dispute
- Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring have been involved in a reported leadership feud
- BJP criticism
- The party questioned the state government’s decision not to participate in the PM Fasal Bima Yojana
- Waris Punjab De proposal
- Autonomous anti-narcotics task forces reporting directly to the chief minister