“When Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann came to power in Punjab, they promised to eliminate drugs from the state within three months.
The deadline was extended, first by three months and then by four months, and has now been extended six times.
A government that keeps giving new deadlines cannot be expected to eradicate drugs.” Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made the remarks while addressing a public gathering ahead of the flagging off of the second Yatra of the ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ organised by the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Gupta said the 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra would become a campaign to free Punjab from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
➖ *Prayer Before Yatra Flag-Off*
Before the yatra was flagged off, Rekha Gupta paid obeisance at a historic gurdwara located on the sacred land that witnessed the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. She also offered prayers for a drug-free Punjab.
She later flagged off the yatra from the local grain market in the presence of Punjab BJP State President Kewal Singh Dhillon, BJP Punjab in-charge Dr Satish Poonia and BJP National Vice-President Manpreet Singh Badal.
➖ *I Have Come to Expose Kejriwal*
Addressing the gathering, Gupta said she had come from Delhi to “expose” Arvind Kejriwal, whom she described as the ‘super CM’ of Punjab. She alleged that Kejriwal and his “battalion” first captured Punjab with Delhi’s money and were now spending the hard-earned money of Punjabis in other states to serve their political interests.
Gupta said Kejriwal had built a ‘Sheesh Mahal’ for himself in Delhi and alleged that after being removed from Delhi, he was now living in ‘Sheesh Mahal-2’ in Punjab. She questioned in what capacity Kejriwal was living in Punjab and under what authority he was travelling in private jets.
She said Punjabis were first misled in the name of the so-called Delhi model and that Punjab was subsequently pushed deeper into debt. Referring to the debt of ₹5 lakh crore on the state, she asked who would repay it, adding that the people of Punjab would “drive Kejriwal out”.
➖ *Kejriwal Runs to Delhi During Disasters*
Gupta said that when floods hit Punjab, Kejriwal “ran back to Delhi”. She also alleged that whenever Punjab faces a crisis, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is “intoxicated with alcohol”.
She alleged that after facing political setbacks in Delhi, Kejriwal had shifted his political focus to Punjab and that the AAP leadership was allegedly misusing public resources. “Those who were responsible for the misgovernance of Delhi are now sitting in Punjab and have been exploiting the state for the last five years,” she said.
*We Will Break Punjab’s Chain*
“Enough is enough. The time has come to break the chains that have shackled Punjab. Who will break these chains? You will, we will, Narendra Modi Ji will and Amit Shah Ji will,” Gupta said.
Referring to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in tackling terrorism and other security challenges, she said the people of Punjab were not alone in the fight against drugs.
➖ *A Movement for a New Beginning in Punjab*
Gupta said the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra was not merely a political programme but a call for collective action. “This yatra is not merely a journey. It is the beginning of a movement to free Punjab from drugs, crime and fear,” she said.
She alleged that gang violence, targeted killings and a sense of insecurity were spreading across Punjab. She said the countdown to the end of the present government should begin on the 13th day of the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
Gupta called upon the people of Punjab to unite and work towards building a prosperous, peaceful and drug-free state. Concluding her address, the Delhi Chief Minister appealed to Punjabis to draw inspiration from the sacrifices of the Sahibzadas and stand firmly against drugs, corruption and injustice.
She called upon the people to resolve that Punjab would no longer tolerate the drug mafia and would once again emerge as a prosperous and drug-free land.
➖ *Not a Political Yatra, But a People’s Movement: Kewal Dhillon*
Punjab BJP State President Kewal Singh Dhillon said the yatra was not aimed at political gains but was a people’s movement. He said drugs had not been eliminated during the AAP government’s four-and-a-half years in power.
“A saying has emerged that pizza delivery may be delayed, but chitta delivery is never delayed,” he said. Dhillon alleged that after failing to stop drugs, the Bhagwant Mann government had begun trying to silence the voices of the people.
Referring to the Mohanjit Sheron and Gulzar Singh cases, he asked what fault the two had committed. He said one had to be placed on a ventilator, while the other was allegedly forced to take the extreme step of suicide.
He said that just as the people of Delhi had removed the AAP, the people of Punjab would also have to remove it. He urged people to understand that if chitta was present in a neighbour’s house, it could eventually reach their own homes as well.
Dhillon alleged that attempts were being made to disrupt the yatra by throwing eggs at Ravneet Bittu, displaying black flags and tearing BJP posters. “You tear down one poster, we will put up 10. But this movement will not retreat,” he said.
➖ *Conspiracy Against India Being Carried Out Through Punjab: Badal*
Addressing the gathering, BJP National Vice-President Manpreet Singh Badal said Punjab accounts for around two per cent of India’s total population, while Punjabis constitute approximately 10 per cent of recruitment in the armed forces. He further claimed that Punjabis have accounted for around 50 per cent of recipients of gallantry awards in the Indian Army.
He said enemies were therefore attempting to weaken India by weakening Punjab. He added that Punjab’s pride could be restored only by uprooting drugs from the state. “How can we sit back and watch someone destroy our youth through drugs right before our eyes?” Badal said.
He said the BJP’s resolve was first to break the drug supply chain, second, ensure treatment for people affected by drug addiction, and third, build a protective wall to safeguard the next generation.
➖ *A Chief Minister Addicted to Drugs Cannot Make the State Drug-Free: Ashwani Sharma*
Pathankot MLA and former Punjab BJP State President Ashwani Sharma launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. “Can anyone expect a person who cannot give up alcohol even after swearing on his mother to control drugs?
He came to the Assembly after consuming alcohol. Mann cannot stop drugs. The people of Punjab themselves will have to come forward to stop drugs,” Sharma said. He said the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra was political, but also represented the voice of the people of Punjab.
➖ Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna, Geja Ram Valmiki and Didar Singh Bhatti, among others, also addressed the gathering
➖ Those present on the occasion included Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in-charge Rajesh Bagha, BJP General Secretaries Parminder Singh Brar and Manjit Singh Rai, BJP leaders H.S. Phoolka, Jagdeep Singh Cheema, Ekta Nagpal, N.K. Verma, Ajay Kaushal, Sukhwinder Singh Goldy, Sukhwant Rai Giga, Karambeer Tohra, Arun Khosla, Meenu Sethi, K.D. Bhandari, S.S. Channi, Ranjit Singh, Jeevan Gupta, Rakesh Sharma, Didar Singh Bhatti, Iqbal Singh Channi, and Dr Harbans Lal, along with other party leaders and workers.