AAP National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was responsible for the spread of the drug menace in Punjab and criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks during his visit to the state.
Reacting to the BJP’s ‘Drug-Free Punjab Yatra’, Dhanda alleged that the BJP’s campaign failed to draw public support and claimed that the party’s approach towards Punjab was not favourable.
“In Punjab, Amit Shah was venting his frustration by hurling abuses at Bhagwant Mann. Why was he hurling abuses? Because their campaign had been going on for days, yet not even four people showed up for it,” Dhanda told ANI.
He alleged that the drug menace in Punjab was linked to the tenure of the Akali Dal-BJP government between 2007 and 2017.
“It was the Akali-BJP government, in power between 2007 and 2017, under which drugs reached every household in Punjab; the state has been grappling with that very problem ever since, striving to fight and eradicate the menace,” he said.
Dhanda further alleged that drug-related issues existed in other BJP-ruled states as well and cited seizures of narcotics in Gujarat and drug concerns in Haryana.
“The BJP has spread the drug trade across the country, and within Punjab too, it was the BJP, in alliance with the Akali Dal between 2007 and 2017, that was responsible for taking drugs to every household,” he alleged.
On the INDIA bloc meeting held in Delhi, Dhanda said issues related to electoral processes concern the entire country and called for wider participation in the movement initiated by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over its demand to “Fix the Election Commission”.
“We believe this is not merely an issue for a single party or alliance; it concerns the country’s 1.4 billion people. Any tampering with the right to vote is a matter of national concern, and the entire nation must unite to fight this battle,” he said.
Dhanda added, “All parties and alliances should join forces with the Cockroach Janta Party’s youth-led initiative to fight this battle and strengthen the hands of the youth.”
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday alleged that the AAP government in Punjab had allowed the trade of “chitta” (synthetic drugs) to flourish openly and vowed that the BJP would make Punjab free from the drug trade by December 31, 2029, if voted to power.
Addressing the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in Jalandhar, Shah said the BJP would make a drug-free Punjab the central issue of its campaign in the upcoming Assembly election.
“Why has the time come today to make Punjab drug-free? Because the AAP government allowed the trade of chitta (synthetic drugs) to flourish openly,” Shah said.
He added, “I have come today to tell the people of Punjab that in the Punjab elections, there are many issues-farmers’ issues, industry issues, law and order issues, women’s safety issues. But in the upcoming election, the Bharatiya Janata Party is going to fight solely and purely on the issue of a drug-free Punjab, for a drug-free Punjab.”
Shah also appealed to the people of Punjab to support the BJP and said the party would work towards ending the trade of chitta by the end of 2029.
“Today, from here, I promise the mothers and youth of Punjab that in this election, support the BJP, vote for the lotus flower, and before December 31, 2029, we will free Punjab from the trade of chitta,” he said.