Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan accuses the Punjab government of harboring drug peddlers

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met families affected by drug addiction as part of Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda on September 21, 2026. Photo credit: ANI

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday (Sep 21, 2026) hit out at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab that the party has failed to eradicate the drug menace despite Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s repeated deadlines to end drug addiction and in fact “those deadlines kept dying”.

He was addressing a public rally at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district flagging off the fourth march (Yatra) of ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ organized by the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He alleged that Punjab was drowning in the quagmire of drugs under the patronage of the AAP government. “AAP President Arvind Kejriwal made grand promises to give Punjab a new development model. Today Punjab has ‘MOD Model’ – Medicine Development Model!” he said.

“AAP runs the government of crime, corruption and commission in Punjab and is engaged in the work of providing protection to drug peddlers,” said Mr. Chouhan. He assured that once the BJP assumes power in the state, it will dismantle the entire drug network within six months.

Addressing the gathering, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that Punjab was once known for its prosperity, vibrancy and hardworking youth, but today the drug menace has emerged as a major challenge for the future of its young generation.

He said turning the anti-drug campaign into a people’s movement was the need of the day. According to him, the fight against drugs is not a fight of any political party, but a fight to save the youth and future generations.

The BJP ‘Yatra’ march, which began on September 18, will continue till September 30 and will cover around 4,000 kilometers across all the 117 constituencies of Punjab.

Published – 22 Sep 2026 04:00 IST