Congress MP Dharamvira Gandhi has attacked the Bhagwant Mann government over its religious programmes. In a sharply worded Facebook post, Gandhi targeted the AAP leadership as "Kejri-Bhagwant & Co" and questioned the use of taxpayers' money for its Hindu outreach.
The MP said his family works day and night and pays taxes so that the government can provide better healthcare, education, employment and infrastructure to people in the state. Gandhi specifically objected to programmes such as "Ek Shaam Shiv Ke Naam" and "Hamare Ram", as well as free religious pilgrimages to places including Shri Khatu Shyam, Salasar, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan and Shri Hazur Sahib.
Arguing that religion is a matter of an individual's personal faith, Gandhi said the state should not promote or patronise one religion over another. He also warned that such state support could divide communities and encourage communalism. His criticism comes at a time when the Bhagwant Mann government and AAP have increasingly made religious and cultural outreach a part of their public messaging.
Politically, what is striking is the relative silence of Punjab's two traditional political parties -- Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal. Neither party has, so far, made the AAP government's religious programmes a sustained political issue.
Gandhi's intervention is therefore significant even within his own party, as the Patiala MP is questioning the government on an issue that Congress, as an organisation, has not aggressively taken up.
The political stakes are higher because the Congress has traditionally had a strong connect with Punjab's Hindu electorate. Since the days of former chief minister Beant Singh, the party has counted a substantial section of Hindu voters among its traditional support base.
That equation has changed over the years, with the BJP seeking to consolidate the Hindu vote, particularly in urban Punjab, while AAP appears increasingly keen to expand beyond its traditional political constituency ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
That raises a sharper question for Congress: if AAP is attempting to make inroads among Hindu voters, why are Congress and the Akali Dal not confronting that strategy more aggressively? For AAP, the outreach could be part of an attempt to reshape its political identity in Punjab. When asked for its response to Gandhi's criticism, an AAP spokesperson refused to comment on the Congress MP's statement. Gandhi's post has therefore opened up a debate that goes beyond one religious programme, putting the spotlight on the larger electoral contest for Punjab's Hindu voters ahead of 2027.
AAP has said nothing is wrong with its actions.
"Government-funded pilgrimages fulfil people's dreams. Just as people draw inspiration from Lord Ram, the teachings and lives of the Gurus can guide our children towards a better society," said the party.
