Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recalled his meeting with Sidhu Moosewala at an ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Punjab’s Sangrur on Wednesday, describing the slain singer as an impressive and talented young man. He said Moosewala’s killing reflected the growing threat of gangster violence in the state.The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned the Punjab government’s record on drugs and law and order, and accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of backing gangsters operating from jails.Gandhi said meeting Moosewala’s father, Balkaur Singh, before the rally had prompted him to change his planned speech.

Recalling his first meeting with the singer, he said he had not heard Moosewala’s music then but had been told that he wanted to join the Congress.“He was an impressive, talented boy,” Gandhi said, adding that he remembered Moosewala’s tattoo. The meeting, however, left him concerned that the singer was entering “a dangerous place”.

Gandhi said he later listened to Moosewala’s songs, including ‘295’. He recalled that the singer’s security was subsequently reduced and he was murdered in broad daylight.“What happened to Balkaur Singh’s son has become commonplace in Punjab now.

Anyone who has talent is shot down,” he said. Moosewala was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, 2022, a day after his security cover was curtailed.

Police have accused the Lawrence Bishnoi gang of orchestrating the murder, with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar named as a key conspirator.The singer had joined the Congress in December 2021 and unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Assembly election from Mansa.RAHUL QUESTIONS AAP’S ANTI-DRUG PROMISEGandhi said he had warned about Punjab’s growing drug problem during an earlier visit, only to face criticism from political parties that accused him of knowing little about the state.He described synthetic drugs as a major concern and questioned the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise to eradicate the menace.“When AAP came to Punjab, they promised to eradicate drugs. I want to ask them: From where have they eradicated drugs?” he said.Gandhi also made a personal allegation against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, claiming that he had smelt alcohol on him at 11 am when they sat together in the Lok Sabha.He said drinking was a personal matter but argued that a chief minister leading a campaign against addiction should not be consuming intoxicants every evening.Punjab needed a leader who understood its pain, Gandhi said, linking the fight against drugs and gangster violence to investment in industry, infrastructure and employment.GANDHI ACCUSES SHAH OF BACKING GANGSTERSTurning to Shah, Gandhi questioned his assurance that the drug menace would be eradicated in three years.

He claimed that Shah would no longer be Home Minister by then and predicted that the Union government would fall within a year.Gandhi also asked what had happened to the case involving drugs seized at an Adani-operated port.“You talk about law and order — you are backing gangsters in jails,” he alleged, addressing Shah.He accused Shah and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal of controlling Punjab’s government from Delhi, with Mann merely holding office. A Congress government, he said, would have a chief minister who took decisions independently rather than followed instructions from the national capital.“You cannot fight gangsterism without a proper industry,” Gandhi said, promising support for farmers and small and medium businesses if the Congress returned to power.RAHUL CHALLENGES PM MODI TO DEBATEGandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of serving billionaires, particularly Gautam Adani, at the expense of farmers and small businesses.Responding to PM Modi’s reported description of the Congress as “desh drohi” (traitor), he renewed his challenge for a debate at any venue, with a moderator of the Prime Minister’s choice.Gandhi claimed he could prove within five minutes that PM Modi was “anti-national” and controlled by US President Donald Trump.The Rae Bareli MP questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on Trump’s repeated claim that he had stopped the India-Pakistan conflict.

He also alleged that a US case involving Adani had been closed following a deal with Washington.Gandhi urged Punjab’s voters to elect a Congress government that would support farmers and small industries, and tackle drugs and gangster violence.- Ends