Congress blows battle bugle with mammoth rally at Dakha

Dakha (Ludhiana), January 30, 2026: Punjab Congress today blew the poll bugle for the 2027 electoral battle in the state with a mammoth ‘Save MGNREGA’ mega-rally organised by the party in Dakha, near here today.
Another impressive rally was organized later at Raikot also.
Tens of thousands of people, including the Congress workers and the MGNREGA workers attended the rally, which was addressed by all the senior party leaders including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and general secretary in charge of Punjab Bhupesh Bhagel.
While the speakers lashed out at the BJP government at the centre for trying to snatch away the livelihood of the poor, they also condemned the AAP government in Punjab for failing to take remedial measures at local level.
The speakers also expressed grave concern over the deteriorating law and order in the state, saying there was complete anarchy as the gangsters were ruling the roost. They said the Punjab Police was working in collusion with the gangsters.
The Congress leaders had a special word of praise for the PCC general secretary-organization and in charge of Dakha, Capt Sandeep Sandhu for organizing the grand rally.
Addressing the mammoth rally, Bhagel promised that the Congress will restore the MGNREGA at all costs. He expressed confidence that the Congress will form the government in Punjab in 2027 and the rights and livelihood of the labourers would be restored.
He said, the Congress will force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bow down and he will be made to restore the MGNREGA the same way he was forced to withdraw the three controversial agricultural laws.
Bhagel said that once the Congress forms government at the centre and Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister, the MGNREGA would eventually be restored.
He congratulated the Congress workers for holding such a massive show in support and solidarity for the MGNREGA workers.  
Speaking on the occasion, the PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the Modi government was trying to snatch away the livelihood of the poor. He pointed out how Dr Manmohan Singh government had brought in the law to provide livelihood to the poor and the marginalized.
The PCC president also criticized the AAP government in Punjab for doing just lip service on the issue. He said, till the time the MGNREGA was restored, it could have provided some interim relief to the affected people. He disclosed that the AAP government in Punjab was the worst performing one in implementing the MGNREGA. He said not even 12 percent people had been provided the required number of work mandatory in MGNREGA.
Warring caution people, particularly the women against the alluring promises of the AAP pointing out how they had been cheated with a fake promise of Rs 1000 every month.
Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa while lashing out at the BJP government at the centre, said, it was undermining the rights of both the Jawans and the Kisans. He said, while the recruitment process in the defence services had been hit, the farmers were slapped with black laws and now the MGNREGA workers were being denied their livelihood.
Bajwa also demanded that the government must waive off the loans of farmers.
Criticising the AAP government in the state for its failure, he said, even when the centre was supposed to provide 90 percent of the expenses and the state just ten percent, it (the AAP) government had not been able to provide even this meagre sum. 
Referring to the ‘special session’ on MGNREGA, he said, the AAP government had held so many such sessions and the net result was zero.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa lashed out at the AAP government for the collapse of law and order in the state. He alleged that Bhagwant Mann was the most corrupt and the most cowardly Chief Minister. He said, Punjab never had and never ever will have such a corrupt and coward Chief Minister like him.
The former Deputy Chief Minister also accused the Punjab Police of being in league and collusion with the gangsters.
Former Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh, while demanding the restoration of the MGNREGA, said that the BJP government had snatched away the right to work of the poor and the downtrodden, which must be restored at all costs.
Among those present included AICC Secretary Ravindra Dalvi, MP Dr Amar Singh, Rana KP Singh, Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Pawan Adia, Simarjit Singh Bains, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Hardial Singh Kamboj, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Capt Sandeep Sandhu, Santokh Singh Bhalaipur, Kaka Randeep Singh Nabha, Anil Joshi, Malkit Singh Dakha, Jassi Khangura, Pawan Dewan, Kulbir Singh Zira, Mohit Mohindra PYC President, Sukhpal Singh Khehra, Jagtar Singh Hisowal, Indu Bala, DCC president Major Singh Mullanpur, Gursharan Kaur Randhawa President Mahila Congress, Dalvir Singh Goldy, Rupinder Singh Ruby Gill, Vikram Bajwa, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Vijay Inder Singh, Kuljit Singh Nagra, Lakhbir Singh Lakha, Kamil Amar Singh, Kamal Dhaliwal, Sumit Singh, Surinder Ramgarh and others.