Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab president Kewal Dhillon on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) urged World Bank President Ajay Banga to explore a collaborative partnership with the Government of India aimed at driving transformative change in rural India, including agricultural diversification, rural entrepreneurship, skilling and financial literacy for farming communities, and integrated rural development.

Mr. Dhillion wrote a letter to the World Bank president, days after Mr. Banga had voiced concern over the shifting aspirations of Punjab’s youth and the mounting challenges confronting the State’s agricultural economy.

“Your recent remarks about young farmers in Punjab, widely reported in the media, have prompted considerable anger, anguish and discussion and I believe they offer an opportunity for a constructive conversation that Punjab genuinely needs,” he wrote.

With the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections nearing, the BJP, which has long struggled to gain a firm foothold in the border state, is seen making an aggressive push to strengthen its political presence. Mr. Dhillon’s letter to the World Bank president is widely seen as yet another move in this direction.

“I appreciate that your observations stem from a place of genuine concern and connection to Punjab’s roots. The challenge of wealth transition among land-selling rural families is indeed a real phenomenon and one that deserves serious policy attention. However, I would respectfully invite you to consider that this pattern is less a reflection of individual choices and more a symptom of the structural transitions that Punjab’s farming communities are navigating - the shift away from an agrarian economy without adequate alternative livelihoods, skilling pathways, or financial guidance to anchor newly acquired resources,” he noted.

He added that the farmers of Punjab are among the most resilient and hardworking people in this country.

On the deeply serious question of drug abuse in Punjab, which was alluded to by Mr. Banga, the BJP state president said that the BJP is fully committed to eradicating this menace, even as the current State government has failed Punjab on this front.