The AAP responded by pointing to a separate drug seizure at sea. The party cited the seizure of 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine, valued at more than Rs 3,000 crore, in a joint operation involving the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, Indian Coast Guard and central intelligence agencies.
AAP used the operation to question the Centre’s focus on Punjab and argued that drug trafficking is an interstate and national problem.
The party has also claimed that Punjab Police have disrupted supply networks and that some pharmaceutical drugs seized in the state originate outside Punjab. These are claims made by AAP and should be distinguished from independently established findings.
BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also entered the political debate on Wednesday, criticising both Congress and AAP over the drug issue. He backed Shah’s 2029 deadline and said neither Congress nor AAP had done enough to tackle the problem.
What the Bathinda video establishes
The immediate facts around the Bathinda incident remain limited. Police have confirmed that the woman was taken to a government de-addiction centre and that she is from Faridkot district. The video shows her in a visibly distressed and apparently impaired state.
It does not, however, establish which substance she may have consumed, whether she was dependent on drugs, or how she came to be in that condition.
The incident has nevertheless become another flashpoint in Punjab’s election-year debate over drugs. With the 2027 Assembly election approaching, AAP’s anti-drug record, opposition criticism and competing promises from rival parties are likely to remain central to the political discussion.
(With inputs from agencies)