New Delhi [India], October 31 : With the 2027 Punjab Assembly Elections nearing, Congress general secretary and state in-charge Sachin Pilot on Saturday said that said the party did not depend on a handful of individuals to lead the campaign in the state. 
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Pilot said the party had no shortage of experienced people capable of running a state. As with the long history of Congress, new faces emerge from every corner of the country to be in leadership positions. 
"Our party doesn't depend on just one, two, or five leaders. Ours is a 140-year-old party with presence in every single village. When new saplings are planted, new flowers bloom, new leaders emerge, and fresh leadership is born. That's the way life works," Pilot said.
When asked about internal rivalry due to strong political leaders in a single party, Pilot rejected the charge. "There is no rivalry; it is healthy competition," the Congress leader told ANI. 
Referring to Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh, he emphasised that Congress does not rely on a single strong leader but rather a team which helps with achieving the party's goals. 
"We don't rely on just one face; our entire team is contesting together. Our new state president comes from a sports background. A captain is strong, but a captain is only as strong as the team backing him," he said.
Instead Pilot has said that it is the Bharatiya Janata Party which is facing rivalry within the party, claiming that former Punjab BJP president Captain Amrinder Singh is 'unhappy' after leaving the Congress fold. 
Asked about who would be the chief ministerial face, Pilot said, "When in government, the sitting CM naturally leads the campaign. In opposition, across all states, the leadership comes collectively from the Leader of Opposition, the state party president, and top senior leaders, and we have many."
The comments come in the backdrop of the party earlier facing speculation regarding a rift within the party. Former Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring claimed that AICC state in-charge Sachin Pilot may have decided that it was time to remove 'Raja' from the post. 
"Given my long journey in politics, I feel that Sachin Pilot must have decided it was time to remove 'Raja' from the post. I don't have concrete proof of this, but perhaps the General Secretary felt that Raja should be removed," Warring had said back in October 2.  
Similarly, there was speculation regarding Charanjit Singh Channi too, where the former CM's supporters were repeatedly raising slogans in support of Channi. 
Contrasting Congress with the ruling AAP government, he said, "AAP has only one Chief Minister face; nobody even knows who the rest are. We have immense depth," he said.
Pilot voiced pride in the party's grassroots leaders, highlighting their deep roots and widespread popular appeal.
"No, they are all deeply rooted grassroots leaders with widespread popularity. I am proud to have that. If we didn't have that and had only one or two faces, that would be a problem. Across different districts, we have numerous leaders who have served as MLAs, MPs, ministers, CM, and Deputy CM," he said. 
Asked whether the exit of leaders with personal followings, such as Captain Amarinder Singh, hurts the party, Pilot spoke warmly of the former chief minister but called his move a personal decision. He claimed that Captain Amarinder Singh's statements show that he is unhappy even after joining the BJP. 
"On a personal level, Captain Amarinder Singh is a very pleasant gentleman. But he chose to join another party; that was his personal call. Even there, he isn't very happy, and his own statements reflect that. In the BJP, newcomers rarely get genuine respect. The reality is that most prominent BJP figures in Punjab today are former Congressmen. They have hardly any homegrown presence," he said.
On whether the departures would affect the Congress, Pilot said,  "I don't think it will have much of an impact. Naturally, whenever anyone leaves a party, it's not good... nobody wants to lose a member of the team. As for others, some leave under pressure, someone faces legal cases, or someone faces raids, so people sometimes give in."
On whether it was a point of no return for the former chief minister, he said, "Unfortunately, that is a question I cannot answer for you. But as far as I am concerned, I have had no personal contact or conversation with Captain Amarinder Singh."
He framed the upcoming elections as a direct fight between the Congress and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing the state government of failing on law and order, drugs and the economy. 
Pilot said the AAP government had squandered the massive mandate it received in 2021. 
"There are 117 assembly seats there, and people gave 92 seats to the Aam Aadmi Party. A historic win. I think that huge mandate was frittered away," he said.
Pilot accused the government of failing on every parameter, including crime, drugs, gangsters, extortion, investment and job creation. 
Painting a grave picture of the drug problem in Punjab, he said he had travelled extensively across the state recently. "If you sit at home or in a village, ordering food via Blinkit or Zomato takes 45 minutes, whereas 'chitta' and drugs reach your doorstep in 20 minutes. Home delivery of drugs," he claimed.
Broadening his attack, Pilot accused the Centre of failing to stop drones and illegal drugs and arms from crossing the border, but maintained that their spread within Punjab could not happen without local involvement. "The systematic manner in which it spreads to every village cannot happen without the connivance of the local police, administration, and the political establishment," he said.
Pilot acknowledged that the situation had existed under Congress as well, but said that the situation had worsened significantly. "It was there, but it has now become 10 times worse," he said.
Pilot linked drugs to a wider chain of crime. He said drug money feeds illegal arms, which in turn sustain gangs that run extortion rackets, some of them directly from prison cells. He said society was once again under severe distress, reminiscent of the 1980s.
He also pointed to the state's finances, claiming Punjab's debt had climbed to ₹4.5 lakh crore from ₹2.5 lakh crore. "No investments are coming in, talent is fleeing the state, and drugs have severely weakened the social fabric," he said.
On extortion, Pilot said traders receive ransom calls from abroad and are too afraid to report them. "I have personally visited dozens of homes where people lost their lives simply because they couldn't afford to pay or refused to pay," he said.
He accused the AAP government of having a single agenda: "to promote, protect, and propagate their own leaders using taxpayers' money." Recalling Punjab's legacy of the Green Revolution and White Revolution, he said the Congress wanted to restore the state to its glory days.
Asked who would lead the Congress, given that several senior leaders and former chief ministers have joined the BJP, Pilot said the party did not depend on a few individuals. He described the Congress as a 140-year-old party present in every village, where new leadership constantly emerges.
"We don't rely on just one face; our entire team is contesting together," he said, adding that the new state president comes from a sports background. "A captain is strong, but a captain is only as strong as the team backing him."
Pressed on who would be the chief ministerial face, Pilot said that in opposition, leadership is collective, drawn from the Leader of Opposition, the state president and senior leaders. He said AAP had only one face, while the Congress had deep bench strength. Denying that this created rivalry, he called it "healthy competition," saying the party has many grassroots leaders who have served as MLAs, MPs, ministers, chief minister and deputy chief minister.
Pilot described former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh as "a very pleasant gentleman" but said joining the BJP was his personal decision. He claimed newcomers rarely get genuine respect in the BJP and that most of its prominent Punjab faces are former Congress members.
Asked about possible back-channel talks for Amarinder's return, Pilot said he had had no conversation with him. On whether it was a point of no return, he said he could not answer. He said that when leaders leave, "it's not good," but added that some leave under pressure from legal cases or raids.
Responding to speculation about an Akali Dal-BJP alliance, Pilot said the Congress's direct contest was with AAP. Pilot said the Congress vote bank was "rock solid" across Doaba, Majha and Malwa. He argued that voters want a stable government and would not waste votes on parties unable to form one.
"People cast their vote for a stable, lasting government. For that, there are only two viable options," he said, adding that AAP had asked for "one chance" and betrayed voters. "Now, the public wants change."
The parties are gearing up for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. In the 2022 elections, AAP won the polls with 92 of 117 seats, while Congress, which is eyeing a comeback, won 18 seats.