‘Freebies not enough for Punjabis; they want law and order’: Sachin Pilot

Interview/ Sachin Pilot, Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab

Sachin Pilot is no stranger to Punjab. In fact, his association with the state predates his political career. His father, the late Congress stalwart Rajesh Pilot, spent a lot of time in the state as an Air Force officer. Sachin travelled extensively through the state with his father and has continued to visit often. The long-standing social and cultural links between Punjab and his home state, Rajasthan, also give him an edge as the Congress’s new general secretary in charge of the state.

The timing, however, leaves little room for sentiment, as Punjab is bound for elections in early 2027 and Pilot has less than four months to turn the state Congress into an election-ready organisation.

The Congress has a strong base in the state, but it remains a divided house. It is, in many ways, similar to Haryana in 2024, where the party was expecting a strong comeback, but factionalism and poor coordination spoiled its chances.

Pilot’s arrival has changed the mood in Punjab, though. On his first visit, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring appeared together with him, sending a message of unity between the fighting leaders. The bigger test, however, is turning that public show of unity into an organisation capable of fighting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and keeping the BJP and the Akali Dal from expanding their space.

Pilot brings some election experience to the assignment. He was among the Congress leaders credited with the party’s successful 2022 Himachal Pradesh campaign, and earlier this year he was senior observer for the Kerala assembly elections, where the Congress-led UDF returned to power.

Punjab, however, is a different challenge. If Pilot can help the party return to power, the state will become a test case for not just his organisational ability but also the Congress’s broader strategy under Rahul Gandhi. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Q/ Is the Congress in Punjab ready for the elections?

Punjab is an important state, not just for my party, but for the country. If you look at the historical contribution and significance of Punjab and Punjabis, we are blessed to have their contributions to our society and democracy. Punjab is also a border state and therefore of great importance to the nation.

As far as the Congress is concerned, if you look at the last Lok Sabha elections, we won seven seats. That tells you that people of Punjab were looking for an alternative. The AAP had made a lot of promises and there was a lot of propaganda around those promises. But, over the past four-and-a-half years, the government has let down the people.

People have tried the Akali Dal many times. Historically, Congress governments, from Sardar Beant Singh to Darbara Singh and Captain Amarinder Singh, delivered on many fronts. The Green Revolution and White Revolution are examples of the contribution of Congress governments.

People of Punjab are now expecting the Congress to fight this election seriously, win and serve the people of Punjab.

Q/ We saw you bringing the two warring leaders Charanjit Singh Channi and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on stage with you. Was that just a photo opportunity or a real truce?

The Congress has strong roots in all three regions of Punjab: Doaba, Majha and Malwa. There may be differences in the way leaders approach certain issues, but the objective of the entire Congress leadership is to win the election.

When you talk about factions, I would ask you to look at the ruling party. The AAP has faced a major split, with seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs moving to the BJP.

In the Congress, there is democracy. We listen to each other. Leaders may have different approaches, but by and large, we have to fight unitedly and strongly.

You saw that in Chandigarh when we protested over the death of Gulzar Singh and the allegations surrounding Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. (A dalit labourer from Toor Banjara village, Gulzar Singh, 47, died by suicide on September 7. The previous day, at an event in Dirba, he had publicly questioned Cheema on the unchecked drug menace in his area.) We all came together because these are issues concerning drugs, dalit rights, atrocities and the conduct of the government.

So we are together in fighting for the cause of the people of Punjab.

Q/ The Congress is still criticised for the ‘mistakes’ of 1984. How does Punjab look at the party today?

The AAP had no answer to the question we were asking: there cannot be two laws in this country. There is an established legal principle concerning dying declarations. In the Gulzar Singh case, the least the government could have done was take cognisance of the recorded evidence and register an FIR against the accused. The investigation will establish the facts, but at least an FIR should have been registered. Instead, when we ask questions about drugs, farmer suicides and atrocities against dalits, we are taken back to 1984.

Dr Manmohan Singh, when he was prime minister, said in Parliament that he hung his head in shame over the horrific period surrounding the 1984 riots. Nobody with a conscience can deny the tragedy or the suffering of the families who went through it. Our hearts go out to them.

But I also want to point out the relationship that the Congress has had with the Sikh community and Punjab. The Congress has given the country its first Sikh president, Sikh prime minister, Sikh home minister, Sikh chief minister, Sikh defence minister, Sikh chief election commissioner, Sikh RBI governor and Sikh Army chief. I am saying this because sometimes people forget that relationship.

Of course, 1984 was a dark chapter in our history. We have acknowledged the grievance and what happened to those families. Those responsible have been dealt with under the law, and if anything more needs to be done, the law should take its course. But for the AAP to say that the Congress has to answer these questions now, I would ask: where have we not answered them?

The AAP did not exist in 1984. Yet when we ask about drugs, farmer suicides and atrocities against dalits, they go back to 1984. To me, that indicates that they do not have answers to the questions we are raising today.

Q/ Will the Congress announce a chief ministerial candidate in Punjab?

Traditionally, the Congress does not announce chief ministerial candidate when it is in opposition. If you are an incumbent chief minister, obviously that person becomes the face of the campaign. But where we are in opposition, as in Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab, we will fight the elections as a team. Mr Gandhi and [Congress president] Mr [Mallikarjun] Kharge will lead the campaign, and everybody else will support it.

Q/ How do you assess the AAP government’s performance?

When the AAP government took over, it said very clearly that it would finish the drug menace within three months. Today, we believe the problem is worse than before. There are reports of dangerous synthetic drugs entering the streets. You can get chitta (synthetic heroin) home delivered. That cannot happen without a nexus involving politicians, bureaucrats and the police. The drugs may come from across the border, but once they enter the state and are distributed, it cannot happen without local networks.

The Punjab government has completely failed in stopping this. I do not know the reasons, but its promise of making Punjab drug-free within three months has clearly not been fulfilled.

Q/ The AAP says it has improved school infrastructure, hospitals and welfare schemes.

People of Punjab have a strong sense of pride and, in many respects, are better off than people in some other states. I do not think announcements of freebies are enough. People want law and order.

A major problem in Punjab today is violence: gang violence, shootings, killings, extortion and people operating criminal networks from jails. We are seeing things that have not happened on this scale before. The drug money, arms smuggling and gangs are interconnected. That is a failure of the state as a whole.

You can talk about schools and hospitals, but we do not see a material improvement on the scale claimed by the government. Punjab has also accumulated a large amount of debt. There have been serious concerns over the state’s finances, including protests by government employees. So you have fiscal mismanagement, law and order concerns and social problems associated with drug abuse.

Q/ The BJP is trying to expand its presence. The Akali Dal is also attempting to rebuild. How do you see the challenge from these two parties?

The BJP’s anti-drug campaign raises a basic question. They should look at where the drugs are coming from. There have been major drug seizures at ports such as Mundra. In September 2021, the DRI seized nearly 3,000kg of heroin at Mundra. The case was subsequently investigated by the NIA. So the border agencies and the Centre also have responsibilities in stopping drugs from entering the country.

If your government has been in power for 12 years and you cannot control the flow of drugs into the country, with what face do you go to Punjab and say you will make it drug-free?

As far as the BJP is concerned, it has historically depended on the Akali Dal for political space in Punjab. The Akali Dal itself is divided and has suffered electoral setbacks. There are talks of the two coming together again, perhaps out of desperation. But I think their credibility is very low. Punjab usually votes decisively and people do not fall for such arrangements easily.

Q/ Political conversations now invariably come back to Gen Z. Is Gen Z in Punjab different from the rest of the country?

I think Gen Z across India wants some very simple things. They are fed up with the structural problems in the education and examination systems, lack of jobs, paper leaks and the absence of accountability. They want a platform where they can use their creativity and talent.

Young people in India are among the most talented in the world. They want appreciation and an opportunity to prove themselves. We have to give them space to think and compete. With artificial intelligence disrupting the world, young Indians are competing globally. We cannot hold them back.

Unfortunately, over the past 12 years, we have seen the increasing control of institutions, universities and college campuses by the government and its nominees. This has affected the freedom to think. A university should allow different ideas to compete. Forcing one ideology or one way of thinking can stifle young people.

Look at the examination system. First there are paper leaks. Then there are problems with checking, including OMR-related issues. Then results are announced and sometimes cancelled. Students lose time and can become overage for examinations. Young people are not asking for favours. They want fair opportunity and the rightful place they deserve.

Q/ Punjab also has two distinctive problems: migration and unemployment. A large number of young people want to go abroad. Does the Congress have a plan for these issues?

Both are important. First, we have to address drugs. Second, crime and gangster culture. Third, we have to re-industrialise Punjab.

Punjab has been slow in terms of industrialisation. We also have to focus on productive and remunerative agriculture. There is a human cost to migration. People leave Punjab because they are looking for a better future. Look at Punjabis around the world. They are entrepreneurs. They are CEOs and are doing well in IT and other industries. Why can’t Punjab benefit from that entrepreneurial excellence? Why can’t we create a welcoming ecosystem for Punjabis living abroad to return, invest and build businesses at home? Who does not want to come home? Who does not want to invest at home?

But if people find the environment sluggish, bureaucratically difficult, or fear extortion and harassment, why would they come? We have to make the entire ecosystem attractive for people to return and invest. We must also retain as much talent as possible within India.

Q/ Agriculture is a deeply emotional issue in Punjab. What can the Congress do differently?

Punjab is a major supplier of foodgrains, particularly wheat and rice. But there has been insufficient innovation and investment, and a more scientific approach is needed. We have to shift cropping patterns towards cash crops and crops that are sustainable both environmentally and economically. The party will come up with concrete and achievable targets for how agriculture should be approached. The solutions have to be practical and easy to implement.