Punjab Drug Menace Sparks Three-Way Political Row Ahead of Assembly Polls

Punjab's drug crisis has reignited a political confrontation among the Aam Aadmi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, with each side trading blame ahead of the state assembly elections.

The latest flashpoint is the Centre's decision to classify six districts of Punjab as ultra-sensitive in terms of the drug menace.

The ruling AAP has pointed to the 2007-2017 period, when the Akali-BJP alliance was in power in the state, to question the BJP's credentials on the issue. Party spokesperson Baltej Pannu argued that the BJP, as a partner in the state government at the time, cannot now distance itself from the crisis. The AAP has also questioned the Centre's focus on Punjab, noting that the ultra-sensitive classification covers 73 districts across the country and that the state should not be singled out.

The BJP, for its part, has targeted the Bhagwant Mann government. Former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar highlighted accounts of families that lost young members to drugs and questioned the government's claims of progress in its War Against Drugs campaign. He asked whether any police officer had been held accountable despite the government earlier setting deadlines for eliminating the menace. The BJP has also raised individual cases from Abohar and allegations that complaints about open drug sales were not acted upon.

Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa attacked both sides, describing the classification of six Punjab districts as ultra-sensitive as a failure of both the state government and the Centre. He said the Centre cannot escape responsibility for cross-border smuggling, drones and border security, while the Punjab government must answer for action against drug networks, traffickers and alleged political patronage within the state.

With the BJP set to begin its Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra on Friday, the drug issue is set to remain a major political flashpoint in the state.