Rahul Gandhi promises strict action over sacrilege and Behbal Kalan firing in Punjab

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, warned of strict action against those responsible for the Bargari sacrilege and other cases of desecration of holy scriptures in Punjab, as he took on the SAD-BJP alliance at rallies in Faridkot and Ludhiana.

Sacrilege and police firing

Recalling his earlier visit to the area, which was shaken by sacrilege incidents and the 2015 police firing at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura, Gandhi said those who insulted religious scriptures deserved no mercy. Two people were killed and many injured at Behbal Kalan village on October 15, 2015, when police opened fire on people protesting against the alleged desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village in Faridkot.

Attack on Modi

Campaigning with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for the Congress candidates Mohammad Sadique in Faridkot and Ravneet Singh Bittu in Ludhiana, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting Punjab and the country by claiming nothing had been done in 70 years. He asked where Modi had been when Punjab’s farmers led the Green Revolution, and said it was the people of India who ran the country.

He listed NYAY, a separate budget for farmers and jobs for young people as the main promises of the Congress manifesto, and alleged that the Modi government had taken money from the public to benefit a few industrialists. He asked what had become of promises on jobs, Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts and doubling farm incomes, and mocked Modi’s interview about eating mangoes and packing his clothes.

In Ludhiana he promised to revive small and medium industries, saying India could not compete with China unless ‘Made in Ludhiana’ became part of ‘Make in India’.

Amarinder’s message

Amarinder Singh asked voters to choose between a Prime Minister who, he said, thought like the Akalis and sought to polarise people, and someone who respected all religions. He accused the Akalis of ruining Punjab’s economy and said his government had launched a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh despite a financial crunch. He also repeated his demand to implement the M.S. Swaminathan Committee report in full.

What happened next

Nationally, the BJP won 303 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats and the Congress 52 in the 2019 election, with votes counted on 23 May 2019.

See also: Indian National Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal.

Originally published on 15 May 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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