Alliance with SAD means continuation of chitta sale, return of gangsterism: Bittu

“There are so many Akali Dals. With whom should we talk,” Bittu quipped.

“If we want to wipe out gangsterism and drugs from Punjab, we cannot think of projecting the SAD as our face. If we want to let chitta (drug) sale to continue or bring back gangsterism, then talks can be held for an alliance with the SAD,” he said.

Bittu’s comments stirred up a debate, especially in view of earlier statements by senior BJP leaders. Party’s BJP unit chief Sunil Jakhar had, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said that an alliance between the SAD and BJP was an “emotion on the ground”. Former chief minister and senior party leader Captain Amarinder Singh too had said in November 2025 that an alliance with the SAD was necessary ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.

The ruling AAP, meanwhile, latched on to the remarks. Party general secretary Baltej Pannu said, “By referring to gangsterism and the sale of ‘chitta’, Bittu himself has indicated under whose rule these problems flourished. People in Punjab heard about gangsterism and chitta for the first time during the SAD-BJP rule from 2007 to 2017. This is no ordinary political statements. This is a confession”.

“If Bittu knows that the Akalis were responsible for pushing Punjab into drugs and gangster violence, then why are BJP leaders in Punjab aggressively advocating an alliance with them?” Pannu asked Bittu.

He said Jakhar and Capt Amarinder should clarify their position in light of Bittu’s comments.

Pannu further targeted the Akali Dal, citing incidents such as the Nabha jail break during the SAD-BJP regime, and claimed that the AAP government was working seriously to curb drugs and organised crime through its anti-drug campaign and police action against gangsters.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, however, dismissed both Bittu’s remarks and AAP’s response. SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said, “Bittu is known for making provocative statements. The statement given by Bittu is just to make headlines for a day. When he was in the Congress, he used to speak against BJP leaders. Now, when he is a minister in the BJP government, he is giving baseless statements about rivals. I want to ask the BJP if they are in agreement with Bittu’s statement,” Kler said.

Kler also criticised the AAP, alleging that it was trying to divert attention from its own failures. “The High Court has already taken the AAP government to task on the issue of drugs. Instead of tackling the drug mafia and gangsterism, the police is conducting searches at gurdwaras, and even targeting the Guru’s Golak,” he alleged.

Kler said both the BJP and AAP were attempting to shift focus away from real issues confronting Punjab. “Akali Dal raises and fights for the real issues of Punjab. We do not want to waste time responding to statements made for personal publicity,” he said.

Earlier in October 2025, Bittu had said the BJP will fight all 117 seats in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, virtually ruling out the possibility of an alliance with the SAD.

The Akali Dal had parted ways with the BJP and the NDA in 2020 over the now-repealed farm laws issue. There are speculations that the two erstwhile allies could again enter into a tie-up before the 2027 Assembly polls.