Amit Shah Visits Panjab, BJP will Fight 2027 Assembly Elections Solo

On 14 Mar, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and union home minister Amit Shah addressed a rally in Killi Chahlan village, Moga district. The Badlav (Change) Rally was Shah's first direct outreach to the people of Panjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly election. Shah arrived at the venue wearing a turban. Acknowledging the significance of the first day of Nanakshahi (Sikh) new year, Shah highlighted the symbolism of his saffron turban, stating that it reflects faith while paying homage to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus (Sovereigns). Shah said the BJP has consistently acted to safeguard Sikh shrines across the borders in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Referring to the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (KSC), Shah asserted that it was the BJP’s resolve that made the pilgrimage possible, adding that had the party been in power during Partition of India in 1947, Kartarpur would have been an integral part of India. He criticized the Indian National Congress over the attack on Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal Throne) in June 1984 and accused it of deliberately creating a chasm between the Hindu and Sikh communities. He promised that a BJP government would introduce a stringent law against forced religious conversions. Ending speculation over a patch-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Shah declared that the BJP will contest the 2027 Panjab Legislative Assembly elections alone. He said BJP is done playing the younger brother to SAD, referring to their alliance from 1996–2020. Shah promised a double-engine government (union and state) to rescue Panjab from drugs and debt. Other senior BJP leaders such as state BJP chief Sunil Jhakar, acting state unit chief Ashwini Sharma, union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also addressed the crowd. Former Panjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, now in BJP, was absent. In the context of KSC, Shah’s speech twisted history because BJP did not exist during India’s independence and Partition. BJP's mother organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) did not participate in the freedom struggle. Since May 2025, the BJP-led union government has closed the KSC. BJP and RSS had endorsed ‘Operation Blue Star.’ Shah did not address the issue of Chandigarh being transferred to Panjab, Sikh political prisoners, and jailed Member of Parliament Amritpal Singh (earlier coverage).