Chandigarh (Sandeep Singh Chahal)-Congress MLA and former Punjab minister Pargat Singh has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing the Punjab government of failing to deliver on its high-profile promise to eliminate drugs from the state.
Taking to social media on Independence Day, Pargat Singh recalled a promise made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on August 15, 2023, when the CM had said that drugs would be finished in Punjab by the following Independence Day. Singh pointed out that three years have now passed, yet the drug menace remains a serious challenge in the state.
“15 August 2023: CM Bhagwant Mann promised that by the next Independence Day, ‘Drug’ would be finished in Punjab. Today is 15 August 2026. Sadly, the promise is nowhere close to reality,” Pargat Singh said.
Singh further alleged that drugs are still being openly sold and that Punjab’s youth continue to suffer because of the menace. His criticism directly challenges the government’s repeated claims of taking strong action against the drug trade.
The political attack also raises a broader question: what happened to the deadline announced from the highest office of the state? If a government publicly commits to eliminating drugs within a specified period, the people have every right to ask for an account of what was achieved, what failed and why the problem continues.
The drug issue has enormous social consequences for Punjab. Families continue to fear for their children, while concerns over addiction, illegal drug networks and the future of young people remain deeply embedded in public debate.
Pargat Singh’s Independence Day intervention therefore turns the government’s own 2023 promise into a political accountability test: three years after the deadline, can the Punjab government still claim that its “drug-free Punjab” mission is on track?
The question is particularly significant because Punjab’s youth have repeatedly been portrayed as the principal beneficiaries of the government’s anti-drug campaign. If drugs remain accessible despite repeated crackdowns and declarations, critics argue that the government must explain where the gap lies between its promises and the situation on the ground.
For Pargat Singh, August 15, 2026, is therefore not merely another Independence Day. It is a reminder of an old promise that, in his assessment, remains unfulfilled.
Three years. One promise. And a drug menace that Pargat Singh says is still far from finished.