Jalandhar, September 30
Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that eradicating drugs will be the BJP’s foremost campaign plank in Punjab, accusing the AAP government of letting the synthetic drug trade spread unchecked. Speaking at a rally in Jalandhar during the conclusion of BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, Shah promised that if the BJP wins the 2027 Assembly elections, Punjab will be drug‑free by December 31, 2029.
“The AAP government allowed synthetic drugs to flourish openly,” Shah charged. He acknowledged Punjab’s challenges—farmers, industry, law and order, women’s safety—but insisted the BJP will fight the election primarily on its pledge to wipe out drugs. “If you vote for the lotus, we will rid Punjab of the synthetic drug menace by December 31, 2029,” he said.
Shah highlighted the BJP’s state-wide yatra, launched from Pathankot, which covered 4,000 km across all 117 constituencies in 13 days before concluding in Jalandhar. Taking aim at AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues, Shah remarked, “I know what Kejriwal and company will say. But we have always delivered on our promises.” He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for successes against terrorism, Naxalism and insurgency.
“Under PM Modi, the BJP freed Kashmir from terrorism, ended the 50‑year Naxal problem and eliminated insurgency in the North East. Now it is time for a Punjab free from synthetic drugs,” Shah asserted. Without naming Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directly, Shah added, “Someone who consumes intoxicants and insults the Gurus cannot liberate Punjab from drugs. Only the BJP can free Punjab.”
Citing seizure figures, Shah contrasted Congress and BJP governments: between 2004–2014, 26 lakh kg of narcotics worth ₹40,000 crore were seized; under Modi (2014–2024), 1.2 crore kg worth ₹1.9 lakh crore were confiscated. The rally made it clear that the BJP is positioning its anti‑drug drive as the central theme in Punjab, sharpening its attack on the AAP government ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
