Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday accused the Centre of conspiring to defame Punjab, alleging that drugs were entering the state from Gujarat. He questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the BJP’s claims of saving Punjab from drugs, asking why the issue was being raised primarily during elections.
Shah is visiting Punjab on Tuesday amid a series of recent incidents in the state. Reacting to the visit, Mann said the Union Home Minister was welcome to come to Punjab whenever he wished, but objected to the BJP’s claim that Shah was visiting to save the state and make it drug-free.
Addressing a live conference, Mann questioned the BJP’s record on tackling drug trafficking and referred to the period between 2007 and 2017, when the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP were in power together in Punjab.
He alleged that drug trafficking had grown significantly during that period and asked why the Centre had not taken effective action against those involved. Mann also referred to demands for a CBI investigation against senior Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, alleging that action had not been taken because of the political alliance.
The Chief Minister further questioned the previous government’s handling of the drug problem, claiming that drug smugglers had named influential ministers but that meaningful action had not followed.
“ You are the Union Home Minister. Why are you not stopping drugs coming from Pakistan? Why do you remember Punjab only during elections?” Mann asked, accusing the BJP of indulging in divisive and low-level politics.
Mann also alleged that large consignments of drugs had entered the country through ports associated with the Adani Group and said Punjab Police had seized consignments weighing thousands of kilograms. He questioned why such shipments had not been stopped before they could reach the state.
Chief Minister also compared Punjab’s situation with that of other states, claiming that Rajasthan was facing a serious drug problem and describing Haryana as a breeding ground for gangsters. He argued that the BJP should focus on tackling these challenges instead of singling out Punjab.
Mann also brought up the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed central farm laws, which continued on the outskirts of Delhi for around a year and a half. He said more than 700 farmers had died during the agitation and questioned why BJP leaders had not visited their families or expressed solidarity with them.
He said the Punjab government had provided compensation of ₹5 lakh and government jobs to eligible families of farmers who lost their lives during the protest.
Mann’s remarks came amid a fresh political confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government and the BJP ahead of Shah’s visit. The Chief Minister maintained that the Centre should focus on curbing cross-border drug smuggling and preventing narcotics from entering Punjab rather than using the issue to target the state politically.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mann announced that the investigation into the murder of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The decision came amid heightened political attention on law and order and the drug menace in Punjab.
