The political battle over Punjab’s drug abuse crisis intensified on Wednesday as Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress and Punjab AAP president Aman Arora both targeted the BJP-led Centre and questioned its record on tackling the narcotics supply chain. Then they took swipes at each other too, drawing on who has ruled Punjab over the past two decades.
Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora launched a sharp attack on the BJP over its Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra and questioned the party’s record on the drug issue, and underlined that the party has been in power for multiple terms as a partner of the Shiromani Akali Dal
Today, the BJP is taking out a yatra on the drug issue! “Punjab has since witnessed continued reports of cross-border drug smuggling, including the use of drones. What has the Centre achieved with this additional jurisdiction? How many major trafficking networks have actually been dismantled? Bajwa asked. Arora referred to the investigation involving former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia and questioned the circumstances surrounding the transfer of probe officer Niranjan Singh. He also challenged the BJP to explain the source of drugs entering Punjab. “During the Akali-BJP alliance, illicit drugs reached every household.
Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Punjab for the culmination of the BJP’s 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, Partap Bajwa said on Wednesday that the drug crisis could not be resolved through political yatras, rallies and slogans alone. He asked the BJP-led Union Government to explain the impact of the 2021 decision to expand the Border Security Force’s (BSF) operational jurisdiction in Punjab from 15 km to 50 km from the international border. The exchange comes as the BJP has made the drug menace a major political issue ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, while the AAP government continues to face opposition attacks over the availability of narcotics and the effectiveness of its anti-drug campaign.
“BJP cannot wash its hands of the drug crisis by blaming AAP,” he said. He said Amit Shah and Bhagwant Mann must both answer questions. Taking a political swipe at previous Akali-BJP governments, Arora claimed the term “chitta” (‘white’ powder, meaning heroin) became widely associated with Punjab during the 2007-2017 period. Arora said.
