Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to address a concluding rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” in Jalandhar on Wednesday, as the party places Punjab’s drug crisis at the centre of its political campaign ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The 13-day statewide campaign began on September 18 and has covered all 117 Assembly constituencies across nearly 4,000 km.
The BJP’s campaign has triggered a political exchange with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with AAP leader Neel Garg questioning the Centre’s role in tackling drug trafficking. Garg asked Shah about the responsibilities of agencies such as the Border Security Force (BSF) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and sought details on action taken against interstate drug networks and trafficking through border areas and other entry points.
Garg said the questions were about the responsibilities of both the state and central governments in addressing the issue. He argued that Punjab’s fight against drugs required wider coordination and said the Centre should provide details of its actions and results before placing responsibility solely on the state government. He also urged a focus on measures to disrupt drug supply networks rather than political allegations.
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The BJP, meanwhile, has presented the “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” as a statewide campaign against drug abuse. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon has said the party would tackle the drug problem if voted to power, including a commitment to eliminate the problem within two years. Dhillon has also identified drug abuse, law and order and corruption among the issues highlighted by the campaign.
The Jalandhar rally marks the culmination of four BJP yatras conducted across Punjab. The campaign has become part of the broader political contest over responsibility for addressing drug abuse, trafficking and related law-and-order concerns in the state. The issue has increasingly featured in political campaigns as parties position themselves ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
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