Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Punjab’s law and order situation following the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.
In a post on social media, Kejriwal accused the BJP of contributing to Punjab’s drug problem and questioned its record on tackling narcotics and organised crime and he also raised the issue of drugs allegedly entering the country through Gujarat’s Adani-owned Mundra Port and accused the BJP-led Centre of protecting gangsters lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail.
Kejriwal’s response came after Shah said the Union Home Ministry would seek responses from the Punjab government over Jhota’s murder and a separate incident in Dirba, where a father allegedly consumed poison under pressure.
Kejriwal alleged that drug trafficking in Punjab had been facilitated through Gujarat’s Mundra Port. He also accused the Centre of providing protection in Sabarmati Jail to those allegedly responsible for spreading gangsterism in Punjab.
The AAP leader further targeted the BJP and its former alliance partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal, over their tenure in Punjab between 2007 and 2017. He alleged that the drug problem had expanded during that period and questioned the BJP’s current position on the issue.
Kejriwal also accused the BJP of having an interest in Punjab’s water resources, Panjab University and Chandigarh. He questioned whether the party intended to bring back the three farm laws that triggered widespread farmers’ protests.
He asserted that Punjab would not allow such moves, linking the state’s interests to the wider political dispute between the AAP and BJP.
The exchange comes amid growing political reactions to the killing of Jhota, who was shot dead in Mansa on October 13 following a confrontation with chemist Ashwani Kumar over the alleged sale of addictive medicines.
Kumar was arrested in Salasar, Rajasthan, on October 14. The killing triggered protests, demolition action at the accused’s residence and a mob attack on his medical shop. A joint action committee also called a Punjab Bandh on October 15, demanding a CBI probe.
Shah had criticised the Mann government over drugs, gangsterism and organised crime, saying Punjab’s people wanted answers and concrete results. He also said the Home Ministry would seek the state government’s response on the Jhota murder and the Dirba incident.