‘Missed deadlines’ vs ‘past failure’: BJP, AAP spar over Punjab drug crisis

The BJP's Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra has sparked a political dispute in Punjab, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accusing the party of poor record-keeping during its 2007-2017 alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The BJP responded by pointing to the AAP government's missed deadlines to eradicate illegal drugs. The 13-day campaign covered nearly 4,000 km and multiple Assembly constituencies before concluding in Jalandhar on September 30.

Mann criticized the BJP by stating that the party's drug crisis was a continuation of the issues faced during the SAD-BJP alliance. He urged the BJP to focus on controlling drug addiction in BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi, as well as monitoring ports such as Gujarat's Mundra port, where drugs are seized worth thousands of crores.

State BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon defended the BJP's allegations, stating that while drug seizures occur in other states, they do not reach households in Punjab.