Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Bajwa, AAP Challenge BJP Over Punjab Drug Crisis
Punjab’s politicians are arguing about how to stop illegal drugs.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said both India’s central government and Punjab’s AAP government must take responsibility.
He asked what the larger Border Security Force area had achieved since 2021.
He also wanted to know how many drones, drug networks and financiers had been stopped.
Bajwa said Punjab must improve policing, intelligence, action against sellers and addiction rehabilitation.
AAP leader Aman Arora attacked the BJP and questioned its record when it governed Punjab with the Akali Dal.
Arora said the word “chitta,” meaning heroin, became widely associated with Punjab during the 2007–2017 Akali-BJP period.
The BJP’s drug campaign comes as the issue becomes important before the 2027 state election.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said the BJP-led Centre and Punjab’s AAP government must both answer for the state’s drug crisis.
Bajwa questioned what the BSF’s expanded jurisdiction, from 15 km to 50 km since 2021, had achieved against cross-border trafficking.
He sought figures on intercepted drug-carrying drones, dismantled networks, prosecuted handlers and financiers, and action against trafficking through other states, ports and financial channels.
AAP Punjab president Aman Arora attacked the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra and cited the former Akali-BJP government’s record on drugs.
Both exchanges occurred as the BJP makes drugs a major issue ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
- Who
- Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP-led Union government and Punjab’s AAP government.
- What
- Political leaders exchanged accusations and demanded accountability over Punjab’s drug supply chain and anti-drug efforts.
- When
- Wednesday, September 30; the dispute followed Amit Shah’s visit for the culmination of the BJP’s 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
- Where
- Punjab, including Jalandhar and the Punjab-Pakistan border; Bajwa also referred to trafficking through other states, ports and financial channels.
- Why
- The BJP has made the drug menace a major issue ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, while opponents question the effectiveness of government action.
Bajwa’s accountability demands
AAP’s counterattack on BJP
Responsibility for the supply chain
Bajwa’s accountability demands
Bajwa said the Centre must secure the Punjab-Pakistan border and act against cross-border, interstate, port and financial networks, while the AAP government must handle policing and local enforcement.
AAP’s counterattack on BJP
Aman Arora challenged the BJP to explain where drugs entering Punjab originate and said the party should answer for its record as a partner in earlier Akali-BJP governments.
Effectiveness of political campaigns
Bajwa’s accountability demands
Bajwa said the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, rallies and slogans could not substitute for measurable action against trafficking.
AAP’s counterattack on BJP
Arora portrayed the BJP’s yatra as politically inconsistent with the drug situation he associated with the 2007–2017 Akali-BJP period.
Political accountability
Bajwa’s accountability demands
Bajwa said neither the BJP nor AAP could avoid responsibility by blaming the other and called on Amit Shah and Bhagwant Mann to answer.
AAP’s counterattack on BJP
AAP directed criticism at the BJP, including its handling of an investigation involving former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia and the transfer of probe officer Niranjan Singh.
- Main demand
- Bajwa urged the Centre and Punjab government to provide measurable results rather than rallies and slogans.
- BSF jurisdiction
- The Border Security Force’s operational jurisdiction in Punjab was expanded from 15 km to 50 km in 2021.
- Questions to the Centre
- Bajwa sought details on intercepted drones, dismantled networks, identified handlers and prosecuted financiers.
- Punjab responsibilities
- Bajwa identified policing, local intelligence, action against peddlers, rehabilitation and community protection as state responsibilities.
- AAP response
- Aman Arora questioned the BJP’s record and its participation in previous Akali-BJP governments.
- Historical claim
- Arora said “chitta,” a term for heroin, became widely associated with Punjab during the 2007–2017 Akali-BJP period.
- Political context
- The BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra lasted 13 days and culminated with Amit Shah’s visit to Jalandhar.
