Jalandhar:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Wednesday, making drug menace the BJP’s central political plank for the 2027 assembly elections and promising to make the state drug-free by the last day of 2029 if the party comes to power.
Addressing a massive rally in Jalandhar as the BJP’s “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” ended, Shah directly appealed to Punjab’s youth to vote for the BJP, saying the party would pull the state’s younger generation out of the “drug trap” and create employment opportunities for them.
“Bhagwant Mann has increased the drug trade,” Shah alleged, accusing the AAP government of failing to tackle the narcotics crisis.
Shah’s Big 2027 Promise: Drug-Free Punjab By 2029
Shah said the BJP would make the fight against drugs a major commitment in the 2027 election. “I promise the youth of Punjab that if you vote for the BJP, we will make Punjab drug-free before December 31, 2029,” he said.
He also attacked the AAP leadership over the Delhi liquor case, questioning how those facing allegations in the liquor controversy could claim they would free Punjab from drugs.
His deadline gives the BJP a clearly defined political benchmark for its anti-drug campaign and puts the issue at the centre of its emerging narrative for the 2027 polls.
‘Met Mothers Who Lost Sons To Drugs’
Shah made an emotional appeal while speaking about families devastated by addiction.
He said he had personally met mothers who had lost their sons because of drugs and recalled meeting a woman carrying photographs of her two dead children while appealing for Punjab to be saved from the drug menace.
The BJP leader said the fight against drugs was not merely a political issue but a question concerning the future of Punjab’s younger generation.
Attack On Bhagwant Mann Government
Shah accused the Punjab government of failing to take adequate institutional measures against drugs.
He alleged that not a single anti-drug meeting had been held by the Punjab government during the past three years and claimed that the state had rejected the Centre’s proposal which were offered to Punjab government to deal with drug problems.
He also linked the drug issue with law and order and women’s safety, saying these would be among the BJP’s priorities if it came to power.
From Drugs To Corruption, BJP Targets AAP
Shah did not restrict his attack to narcotics. He accused the Punjab government of irregularities in several matters, including the advertising issue, Barnala land controversy and alleged irregularities and corruption prevailing in various department.
On advertising expenditure, Shah alleged that the Punjab government was spending around Rs 785 crore annually on publicity and advertisements, accusing it of misusing public money.
He also raised questions over mining revenue, alleging that despite promises to curb illegal mining and increase state income, revenue from mining had declined.
Farmers’ issue Gets Space
Shah also targeted the Bhagwant Mann government over its promise to provide MSP for 26 crops. The government, he said, has failed to fulfill the commitment and contrasted Punjab with neighbouring Haryana, where he claimed farmers had received MSP on the crops covered under the state’s policy.
Shah promised that a BJP government would work towards a “permanent solution” to farmers’ concerns.
‘Punjab’s jawans have always stood first for national security’
Seeking to connect the BJP’s Punjab campaign with the state’s contribution to national security, Shah praised Punjab’s soldiers.
He said that before and after Independence, whenever the country’s security was at stake, Punjab’s soldiers had been among the first to sacrifice their lives.
He invoked the Sikh battle cry “Jo Bole So Nihal”, saying its resonance in the Indian Army reflected the courage of Punjab’s soldiers. Pakistan forces turned back the moment they heard it, he said.
Anti-Drug Yatra To 2027 Electoral Battle
The political message from the BJP is clear: drugs, law and order, corruption, farmers and youth employment will be woven together into its challenge to the AAP government ahead of the 2027 elections.
Shah’s December 31, 2029, drug-free deadline now gives the BJP a specific promise around which it can build its Punjab campaign, while putting the Mann government on the defensive over its own record on the drug crisis.
