From Anti-Corruption to Authoritarianism: AAP’s War on Punjab Kesari Exposes Its True Face
What is unfolding in Punjab is not a technical dispute over regulations or paperwork. It is a stress test for Indian democracy. When a government uses its power to squeeze a newspaper that refuses to fall in line, the issue stops being administrative and becomes constitutional. We state this without hesitation. We stand in complete solidarity with Punjab Kesari. What the Aam Aadmi Party is doing in Punjab is not governance. It is intimidation.
AAP once sold itself as a moral alternative to traditional politics. It rose on the promise of transparency, dissent, and accountability. That moral halo has now shattered. The same party that once shouted from the streets now appears uncomfortable with questions from newsrooms. The transformation is stark. The slogans have remained. The values have not.
The responsibility for this collapse rests squarely with Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Minister of Punjab. On paper, Mann heads an elected government. In practice, his administration has presided over actions that give the unmistakable impression of a state machinery unleashed against a critical media house. A confident Chief Minister protects institutions even when they criticise him. A weak one allows them to be targeted. Punjab today is witnessing the latter.
Behind Mann stands the unmistakable shadow of Arvind Kejriwal, the man who exercises power in Punjab without holding office there. Kejriwal did not take an oath before Punjab’s people, yet decisions in the state increasingly seem calibrated to his political sensitivities. This arrangement allows him influence without accountability and authority without responsibility. It is a dangerous model for any democracy.
The most alarming aspect of this episode is the method. No outright ban. No declared censorship. Instead, regulators and enforcement agencies are deployed in ways that disrupt operations, send warnings, and create fear. This is the modern playbook for silencing the press. Control the narrative by exhausting the messenger. When regulators act selectively, law enforcement ceases to be neutral and becomes political.
Punjab Kesari was not targeted because it broke the law. It was targeted because it refused to toe the line. For decades, the paper has been one of North India’s most influential voices, reaching millions across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Silencing such an institution is not about one newsroom. It is about sending a message to every editor and reporter in the state. Fall in line or face consequences.
Judicial intervention in this matter should embarrass the Punjab government. Courts do not step in lightly. When they do, it is because executive power has crossed constitutional limits. This is not about who wins a legal case. It is about who forced the judiciary to remind a government of its boundaries.
The stakes go far beyond Punjab Kesari. If a large, established newspaper can be pressured, smaller regional outlets stand no chance. Freelance journalists, local reporters, and independent digital platforms will self-censor long before a notice arrives. That is how democracies hollow out. Not with one dramatic blow, but with a thousand quiet compromises.
A government confident in its performance does not fear headlines. A party secure in its legitimacy does not need to manage narratives through intimidation. By allowing this episode to unfold, AAP has revealed how far it has travelled from its founding ideals. The anti-corruption movement that once challenged power now wields it without restraint.
We repeat this clearly and without ambiguity. We stand with Punjab Kesari. Because a free press is not a privilege granted by governments. It is a right that restrains them. And when a government starts silencing newspapers, it is only a matter of time before it starts silencing citizens.
