Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said that the Punjab Government’s decisive and sustained crackdown against narcotics is delivering concrete results, dismantling drug networks that once operated with impunity. He said that as Punjab strengthens enforcement and public participation against drugs, serious questions are arising about the growing menace in Haryana under the Nayab Singh Saini government.
Recalling that drugs proliferated across Punjab during the 2007–2017 SAD-BJP regime, Harpal Singh Cheema said a similar pattern is now visible in Haryana. Referring to Haryana Police officer Sunil Sandhu, who is facing action after anti-drug operations, Harpal Singh Cheema asked what the BJP government in Haryana is trying to protect. He also questioned whether the repeated visits of Nayab Singh Saini to Punjab indicate an attempt to allow drug networks to regroup and seek a return, even as Haryana sinks deeper into the crisis.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that as the Punjab Government intensifies its crackdown against narcotics, drug traffickers are fleeing the state and establishing Haryana as their new base. “The decisive action under the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has tightened the grip on drug networks in Punjab, exposing how criminal elements are now relocating operations,” he added.
Harpal Singh Cheema said, “As the noose tightens against drugs in Punjab, traffickers have made Haryana their new base. Our efforts are producing results, and that is why they are being forced to run.”
Recalling the past, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Punjab has suffered the consequences of drug proliferation during the 2007–2017 SAD-BJP regime. It was during the BJP-Akali government that drugs like heroin and ‘chitta’ spread across Punjab. The people of Punjab rejected them because they witnessed the devastation first-hand,” he said.
Harpal Singh Cheema asserted that after the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann assumed office in 2022, a decisive campaign, ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’, was launched. “A special sub-committee was formed, and extensive coordination meetings were held across districts. Recently, over 1.5 lakh members of Village Defence Committees took an oath to support the anti-drug movement, reflecting mass public participation,” he added.
The senior AAP Punjab leader asserted, “Today, a similar situation is emerging in Haryana. Under government patronage, drugs are spreading there, and police officers who act against narcotics are being openly threatened.”
Referring to Haryana Police officer Sunil Sandhu, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Sunil Sandhu is widely known on social media for his commendable work. He has received several awards for his service. Recently, he seized narcotics and the video of the operation went viral. Ever since then, the BJP government has been troubling this police officer. This raises serious concerns about what the Haryana government is trying to protect.”
He added that this pattern is not isolated. “Three thousand kilograms of heroin were seized in BJP-ruled Gujarat. Such a massive seizure raises serious questions about the functioning of drug networks in BJP-governed states,” Harpal Singh Cheema said.
Harpal Singh Cheema further questioned the repeated visits of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to Punjab. “Nayab Singh Saini has been visiting Punjab frequently. Is the BJP attempting to revive the drug trade in Punjab once again? The dark phase that Punjab endured under a BJP-backed government is now being witnessed in Haryana, which is steadily sinking deeper into the drug crisis,” he said.
Reaffirming the Punjab Government’s firm resolve, Harpal Singh Cheema said that Punjab will not allow drug mafias to regroup and will continue its campaign relentlessly. He added that officers acting honestly against drug networks must be protected and not penalised for doing their duty.