Shahkot: Addressing a rally organised in Shahkot during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, Union Minister of State Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel said the BJP wants a drug-free and development-oriented Punjab, whereas the AAP government has made the state “drug-ridden and development-starved”. He said the people of Punjab now have to decide what kind of Punjab they want.
Prof. Baghel said the yatra was not merely a political programme but represented the cries of mothers who had lost their sons to drugs, the pain of fathers whose families had been shattered and the suffering of households whose lives had been destroyed by addiction. He said it was deeply painful that a land known for its contribution of soldiers, farmers, sportspersons and youth to the nation was today being associated with the devastation caused by drugs.
“Punjab was known for its Gurus and saints, its brave soldiers, agriculture, milk and dairy, kabaddi, hockey and military valour. It is painful to see images of its youth being destroyed by drugs,” he said.
Prof. Baghel said drug addiction did not destroy merely an individual but could break an entire family. He referred to incidents of domestic disputes, violence against parents, mortgaging of family property and the disintegration of households because of addiction. He asked who would work in Punjab’s fields, guard its borders and bring laurels to the state on sporting grounds if its young generation was consumed by drugs.
He said the BJP was reaching out to people on a large scale with the objective of making Punjab drug-free. “Seizures alone are not enough. The entire drug supply chain, trafficking networks and the ecosystem operating behind them have to be dismantled,” he said. The police, he added, had the capability, but needed firm political backing and determination.
Referring to law-and-order concerns, Prof. Baghel said reports of extortion calls, incidents of women being robbed of their jewellery and other crimes were a matter of serious concern. He questioned how Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could remain unconcerned amid such conditions in the state.
He also linked drug abuse with unemployment and the migration of Punjab’s youth abroad. “The youth of Punjab need opportunities, not drugs; they need jobs, not addiction,” he said, adding that young people should be provided employment, security and hope within Punjab itself.
Prof. Baghel said Punjab and the Sikh community had historically resisted foreign invaders and colonial rule and had made significant contributions to national defence and international sport. “Punjab has to fight another battle today—against drugs. This is not a battle of any one political party; it is a battle to save the next generation of Punjab,” he said.
He said the teachings of the Sikh Gurus emphasised hard work, service and a life away from intoxicants. Punjab, he added, needed the “intoxication of milk and dairy, sports, education, employment and medals—not drugs.”
Prof. Baghel said the BJP’s resolve was clear: “Drug-free, development-oriented Punjab.” He said a double-engine government would bring the efforts of the Centre and the state together to tackle drugs, create employment opportunities, strengthen law and order and restore Punjab’s development trajectory.
‘War Against Drugs’ reduced to newspaper advertisements: Avinash Rai Khanna
Former Punjab BJP president and former Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna strongly criticised the state government’s anti-drug campaign. He said the government’s slogan of “‘War Against Drugs’” had been reduced to newspaper advertisements and alleged that neither its intent nor its policy was clear.
Khanna said Punjab’s youth had once brought pride to the state through agriculture, sports and service on the borders. “Today, the situation has deteriorated to the extent that many young people are being deprived of the ability to work in the fields, participate in sports or serve the nation,” he said.
He said that during his visit to Shahkot, he met families whose lives had been devastated by drugs. He cited the case of a 28-year-old man who died due to drug addiction, leaving behind a wife and elderly mother who were forced to work in other people’s homes for their livelihood. He also referred to a father who said that drugs had claimed the lives of two nephews and his son, and that the son had attacked him with a stick when the family tried to persuade him to give up drugs. Khanna also referred to another elderly man whose only 25-year-old son had fallen victim to addiction.
“These are not stories merely to be narrated; they are a warning to Punjab,” Khanna said, stressing that drug addiction affects not only young people but entire families.
Referring to the Tarn Taran tragedy involving deaths caused by spurious liquor, he said such incidents should serve as a warning for the state.
Khanna questioned the state government’s anti-drug strategy, asking why fast-track courts had not been established and how many major drug traffickers had actually been convicted. “Merely releasing figures about arrests is not enough. Real success will come when the major drug kingpins are behind bars and the entire drug supply chain is broken,” he said.
Khanna praised the Punjab Police for its role in combating terrorism during the state’s difficult years, saying Punjab remained proud of the force’s courage. He suggested that if the government had clear intent and policy, police officials could be made accountable for drug sales within their jurisdictions. He said the Punjab Police had the capability to tackle the drug menace if provided full political backing and authority.
Referring to the fight against Left-Wing Extremism in Chhattisgarh, Khanna said the BJP had demonstrated its willingness to confront difficult challenges through political resolve and policy. He called for similarly firm and result-oriented action against the drug menace in Punjab.
BJP will take the anti-drug message to every village and neighbourhood: Ravikaran Singh Kahlon
BJP vice-president and coordinator of the ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, Ravikaran Singh Kahlon, said every section of society would have to play its part in protecting Punjab’s youth from drugs.
He said the purpose of the yatra was not merely to hold rallies but to reach every street, neighbourhood, town and village and awaken people against the drug menace.
“We have to save mothers’ sons, sisters’ brothers and the families whose homes have been destroyed by drugs,” Kahlon said.
He appealed to Punjabis to make the fight against drugs a collective social movement rather than leaving it to the government or any one political party. “Let us save the generation being pushed into the haze of drugs and rebuild a colourful, cheerful, sporting and hardworking Punjab,” he said.
He reiterated the BJP’s campaign message: “Nasha Mukao Saara” (Eliminate Drugs Completely).