Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s commitment to making Punjab drug-free, alleging that the BJP was politicising the issue during Shah’s visit to the state.
Mann addressed a press conference amid Shah’s meetings with families of people who allegedly lost their lives after speaking out against drugs.
Mann questioned why the BJP did not take stronger action against drug trafficking when it was in power in Punjab in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal from 2007 to 2017 and also asked why action was not taken against alleged drug smugglers during subsequent years when, according to him, the problem continued.
The Chief Minister said the state’s drug problem required coordinated action from the Centre and the Punjab government rather than political accusations. He urged Shah to focus on drug trafficking networks operating across state borders and the international border with Pakistan.
Referring to the seizure of around 3,000 kg of suspected narcotics at Gujarat’s Mundra port in 2021, Mann questioned the Centre’s handling of drug trafficking through ports. He also raised concerns about drug smuggling across the India-Pakistan border and called for stronger border surveillance.
Mann said he had previously raised the need for anti-drone systems along the border and claimed that Punjab had worked with the Border Security Force (BSF) to introduce such measures.
He also referred to the BSF’s jurisdiction extending up to 50 km inside Punjab from the international border, asking the Union Home Minister to take stronger action against cross-border smuggling.
The Chief Minister alleged that drug trafficking and gangster networks were not limited to Punjab. He referred to Rajasthan and Haryana while questioning the BJP’s criticism of law and order in Punjab.
Mann also questioned the presence of gangsters accused in major crimes in jails outside Punjab, including Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail and Delhi’s Tihar Jail. He asked the Centre to take action against criminal networks rather than using the issue to target the state government.
Shah’s Punjab visit included meetings with families of people whose deaths have been linked to their opposition to drug abuse. Mann said meeting grieving families was not wrong but accused the BJP of using the issue for political purposes.
He referred to the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed farm laws, stating that more than 700 farmers had died during the agitation. Mann said the Punjab government had provided compensation of Rs 5 lakh and government jobs to eligible family members of deceased farmers.
He questioned why BJP leaders had not shown similar concern for those families during the protest.
Mann also said Punjab had repeatedly raised issues concerning Chandigarh, river waters and the state’s representation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). He alleged that the BJP was showing renewed interest in Punjab ahead of elections.
Reiterating his government’s position, Mann said Punjab’s anti-drug campaign would continue and be intensified. He said the government was taking action against people involved in drug trafficking, including the seizure of properties and action against properties linked to alleged offenders under applicable law.
The Chief Minister also urged the Centre to strengthen the legal framework against drug trafficking, arguing that stricter provisions were needed to tackle the problem effectively.
Referring to anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, Mann said his government stood with the activist’s family and would continue supporting efforts against drugs.
Mann maintained that the Centre and the state government needed to work together to tackle drug trafficking. He asked Shah to focus on border security, drug supply routes and action against traffickers instead of making political allegations against the Punjab government.
Shah’s visit comes amid a political exchange between the BJP and the AAP-led Punjab government over drug abuse, gangsterism and law and order in the state.
