Ludhiana: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of lacking the seriousness and intent needed to address the state’s drug problem.
In response, Mann sharply criticised both Shah and the BJP, challenging them to justify their alleged failure to curb drug trafficking during their years in power.
He stated that instead of exploiting Punjab’s drug crisis and the suffering of grieving families for electoral gains, the BJP should be held accountable for its previous shortcomings in tackling drug trafficking.
Shah accused the AAP government of being incompetent in handling the drug menace, gangsterism, and organized crime in Punjab, according to some news reports.
He highlighted specific incidents, including the death of a man in Dirba and the broad-daylight murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, demanding answers on public safety.
Shah announced a pledge to make Punjab completely drug-free by December 31, 2029, if the BJP is voted into power, wrapping up the party’s 4,000-km Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
He stated that cases like Jhota’s murder were handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and urged the state to hand over other sensitive cases as well.
Reacting sharply, CM Bhagwant Mann dismissed Shah’s visit as political publicity ahead of elections rather than a genuine effort to help the state.
Mann questioned why the Union government and the Border Security Force (BSF)—which patrols the 50-km border belt—had failed to stop drug and arms smuggling from Pakistan, or provide the state with requested anti-drone systems.
He shifted the focus to BJP-ruled states and ports, pointing to massive drug seizures like the 3,000 kg of synthetic drugs reported at Gujarat’s Kandla Port, and asked the BJP to look inward and take responsibility for national drug supply chains.
