Shah Puts Drug-Free Punjab at Centre

Jalandhar Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party would make a drug-free Punjab its central electoral issue for the 2027 Assembly polls, promising to eliminate the illicit ‘chitta’ trade by December 31, 2029 if the party comes to power. Addressing an anti-drug rally in Jalandhar, Shah appealed to the state’s mothers and youth to support the BJP, while accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government of allowing the synthetic drug trade to flourish. These allegations were made by Shah during his political address and were not independently established in the speech. The rally marked the culmination of the BJP’s 13-day ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, which began on September 18 and travelled through all 117 Assembly constituencies. The campaign covered nearly 4,000 kilometres through four routes before concluding in Jalandhar. Shah said the upcoming election would involve several issues, including farmers, industry, law and order and women’s safety, but declared that the BJP would contest primarily on the promise of making Punjab drug-free. He also cited figures on nationwide narcotics seizures during the Congress-led government from 2004 to 2014 and the BJP-led government from 2014 to 2024, using them to highlight what he described as the Modi government’s stronger action against drugs. The Home Minister also referred to Punjab’s contribution to India’s food security and national defence. He said farmers had helped fill the country’s granaries, while Punjabis had made significant sacrifices in safeguarding India’s borders before and after Independence. The BJP’s anti-drug campaign comes ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly election, with the party increasingly placing narcotics, law and order and governance issues at the centre of its political outreach. "The Bharatiya Janata Party will contest the upcoming election solely on the issue of making Punjab drug-free." - Amit Shah (Union Home Minister). "I have come today to tell the people of Punjab that there are several issues in the state’s elections, including farmers, industry, law and order, and women’s safety." - Amit Shah (Union Home Minister). "Whenever the country needed food, Punjab’s farmers filled our granaries and continue to do so even today." - Amit Shah (Union Home Minister). "Whether it was before Independence or after it, whenever the question of security arose, Punjab was always ready with its response." - Amit Shah (Union Home Minister).