Amit Shah announces BJP will contest Punjab elections on drug issue

Union Home Minister Amit Shah concluded the ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ with a massive rally in Jalandhar, announcing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will make drug eradication its primary campaign issue for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections. Shah set a target to make the state drug-free by December 31, 2029, if the BJP forms a government. He criticized the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for failing to curb the drug network and accused them of neglecting promises regarding Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers.

The Aam Aadmi Party responded by accusing Shah of using Punjab for political gain. The party suggested that the ‘drug-free journey’ should instead start in Gujarat, citing a recent seizure of over 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin worth 3,000 crore rupees by the Gujarat ATS. AAP claimed that the state government has successfully disrupted supply chains from across the border and that much of the drugs entering Punjab now originate from other Indian states.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam supported the central government’s campaign, comparing the fight against drugs to the successful crackdown on Naxalism. Meanwhile, security in Jalandhar was tightened for the event, which expected to draw approximately two lakh attendees via thousands of buses.