Hans News Service Jalandhar

UnionHome Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the AAP government in Punjab on Wednesday over the drug menace in the state, accusing it of allowing the trade in the contraband to run openly. Seeking support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Assembly polls due early next y ear, Shah said the saffron party will free Punjab from “chitta” (heroin) by December 2029.

“Can AAP make Punjab drugs-free? Only the BJP can make Punjab drugs-free,” he said. The senior BJP leader was addressing a rally here to mark the culmination of the party’s “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra”, which began on September 18. Hitting out at the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Shah alleged that it allowed the “chitta” trade to run openly in Punjab. He said the BJP will fight the Punjab Assembly polls on the issue of “Nasha-Mukt” (addiction-free) Punjab.

Seeking support for the party, Shah said, “I promise Punjab’s mothers and youngsters from here that before December 2029, we will free Punjab from chitta.” On his arrival at Jalandhar in the afternoon, the home minister paid obeisance at the Shree Devi Talab temple here.

Later, he met some families affected by the menace of drugs. Before addressing the rally at Paragpur, in a post in Punjabi on X, Shah said Punjab is grappling with a serious drug problem due to the AAP government’s poor governance and called the Mann dispensation “aapda” (disaster). He said the people of Punjab are waging a decisive battle against drugs and uniting the state in the process.

The BJP’s yatra reached every village in Punjab, raising drug awareness while also inspiring youngsters to join the campaign, he added. On the conclusion of the yatra in Jalandhar, Shah said he will meet with the residents of Punjab face to face and, by interacting with the families suffering from the scourge of drugs, share their pain and sorrow. Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon, party leaders Tarun Chugh, Sunil Jakhar, Ashwani Sharma, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Manpreet Badal, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Preneet Kaur, Vijay Sampla, Sandeep Pathak, Som Prakash, Manoranjan Kalia, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Mittal were also present at the rally.