Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday launched a sharp attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking him to answer for the seizure of 3,000 kg of heroin at Gujarat’s Kandla Port instead of defaming Punjab and indulging in political blame games. Challenging Amit Shah to take responsibility for drug routes running from BJP-ruled Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann questioned how drugs continue to enter the country despite border security being under the Union Home Ministry.

Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s post on X, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated: “Amit Shah ji, you should have consulted your advisers before speaking about me. The BSF has a 50-kilometre jurisdiction, yet 3,000 kg of heroin is being seized at Gujarat’s Kandla Port. Before blaming CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, take responsibility for your own duties. Stop copy-pasting scripted tweets written by your ‘chamchas’.”

Responding to questions about Amit Shah’s remarks on Punjab’s law and order situation, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “I also responded to Amit Shah. Why did you not mention what I said? What reply did I give? Have you ever seen Amit Shah write in Punjabi? Someone must have sent him the statement from here, and he simply copied and pasted it.”

The Chief Minister pointed out, “The BSF has a 50-kilometre operational range along the border, yet consignments of around 3,000 kilograms of drugs are seized at Gujarat’s Kandla Port. If drugs are coming from Pakistan, then who controls the BSF? It comes under the Union Home Ministry.”

He pointed out, “The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for years.. If the route passes through Rajasthan, whose government is in power there? The BJP’s. If it passes through Haryana, whose government is in power there? The BJP’s. Yet they keep blaming Punjab. Before making allegations against Punjab, they should examine their own responsibilities. Our position is clear: we will not protect any drug smuggler, and we will continue to take strict action against those involved in the drug trade.”

Referring to the period when the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance governed Punjab, he said, “Who was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017? The Akali Dal and the BJP. When Majithia was sending drugs in vehicles fitted with red beacons, who was providing protection? They were the ones doing it. The BJP formed the government at the Centre in 2014, and even after that, they continued supporting those elements.”

“Amit Shah, before defaming Punjab, please consider your own record. In Punjabi, we say that one should sweep under one’s own doorstep before blaming somebody else. First examine your own house, and then make allegations against others,” affirmed CM Bhagwant Singh Man.

Asked about the timing of political statements and whether Punjab was being targeted, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “This is exactly what will continue now that elections are approaching. If the CBI conducts raids on my family members or on people close to me whom I trust, it means elections are approaching. They followed the same pattern in Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana. So, let them keep talking. The people of Punjab will give their own answer.”

Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia stated: “Amit Shah ji, do not defame Punjab. You are the Union Home Minister. Breaking the drug supply chain through which narcotics are being supplied to Punjab via Gujarat is your responsibility. Today, when the Bhagwant Mann Government has broken the chain of drug traffickers in Punjab, it is your responsibility as the Union Home Minister to dismantle the supply chain operating out of Gujarat. The highest quantity of drugs in the country has been seized at Gujarat’s ports over the past five years. Yet, you have set out to defame Punjab for political gains?”

The AAP Punjab Prabhari pointed out, “Lawrence Bishnoi is operating his entire network from Sabarmati Jail. Phone calls, video calls, threats and criminal operations are all taking place from a high-security jail in your state. The question of where gangsterism is being sheltered should be directed not at Punjab, but at your own government.”

Manish Sisodia noted, “Between 2007 and 2017, when the SAD-BJP government was in power, the drug trade involving ‘chitta’ and heroin flourished in Punjab. The poison sown by your government during that period is what Punjab is being forced to deal with today. Having forgotten that history, are you now trying to defame Punjab? Border security, ports and central agencies such as the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) and DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Government. When drugs are entering the country through Gujarat’s ports, who should be held responsible?”

Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated: “You are the ones spreading drugs in Punjab through Adani’s ports. You are the ones providing security in Sabarmati Jail to those spreading gangsterism in Punjab. You are the ones who joined hands with the ‘Chitta Party’ to spread drugs in Punjab between 2007 and 2017. And now, are you dreaming of making billions of rupees once again by selling drugs in Punjab in collusion with that same party?”

“Today, the highest levels of drug abuse are in states where your governments have been in power for years. Was making money by selling drugs in those states not enough? Have you now returned to Punjab, once again joining hands with your ‘Chitta Party’, to destroy the state? The people know that your eyes are set on Punjab’s waters, Panjab University and Chandigarh. Do you want to bring back the three black laws? Punjab will never allow this to happen,” asserted Harpal Singh Cheema.

AAP Punjab, in its response, stated: “Amit Shah ji, you are the Union Home Minister of India. Before you lecture Punjab, answer for your own Ministry. Border security is your responsibility. The BSF reports to you. You extended its jurisdiction from 15 to 50 km in 2021. Every drone that crosses into Punjab crosses a border your Ministry is meant to guard. The Mann government had to install its own anti-drone system, Baaz Akh, to protect Punjab’s youth because the drones kept coming.”

The party demanded Amit Shah to tell the country: how did nearly 3,000 kg of Afghan heroin reach Mundra port in his Gujarat in 2021? “How did 115 kg of cocaine worth Rs 1,150 crore and 196 kg of Captagon reach the same coast this May? Why are mephedrone labs being busted in Agar Malwa in January and Sanchore in February? Who is letting this happen in the states you rule? And a CAG report tabled this March found 2,332 kg of drugs seized by Gujarat Police, over a third of everything it seized between 2010 and 2022, left unaccounted for. Gujarat’s CID told the Home Department that some was stolen and the rest was eaten by rats. So tell the country, Amit Shah ji: did the rats eat it, or did you supply it to other states?”

The party pointed out, “Punjab, meanwhile, is fighting back. Punjab Police’s own data shows heroin availability has fallen under the Mann government’s crackdown. When anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot in Mansa, Punjab Police tracked the accused to Rajasthan, arrested him within 24 hours, demolished a property linked to him, and suspended the Mansa SHO. And in your own double-engine Haryana, Punjab’s neighbour, journalists who ran a drug sting were arrested in the CM’s own constituency. Is democracy dead under your rule? Is that your idea of a drug-free India?”

“Punjab does not need your lectures or your election-season sympathy. It needs answers. Secure the border. Clean up your own states. Then come and speak to Punjab,” the AAP affirmed.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Friday launched a sharp attack on Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s latest remarks on Punjab’s drug problem, asking why the Congress leader was silent about his own party’s record in the state.

AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu stated, “Rahul Gandhi has remembered Punjab’s drug problem again. But will the Congress answer for its own government’s record? Captain Amarinder Singh swore on Sri Gutka Sahib that he would eliminate drugs from Punjab, but that oath proved false. Despite the revelations surrounding Inspector Inderjit Singh, former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajjit Singh continued to be posted at different places under Captain Amarinder Singh’s government.”

He continued, “Drugs became a major issue in Punjab during the 2007–2017 Akali-BJP government, when an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation also brought the names of people referred to as Satta and Pindi into the picture.”

He also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah for tweeting about drugs without explaining what action had been taken after Satta and Pindi were brought back from Canada. The AAP leader highlighted drug-related cases in BJP-ruled states, particularly Gujarat, and questioned how such cases were being handled.

Turning to the Congress, Baltej Pannu asked Rahul Gandhi, “Why Rajjit Singh continued to be posted as an SSP at different places under Captain Amarinder Singh even after Inspector Inderjit Singh was caught?” He also reminded the Congress of Captain Amarinder Singh’s oath on Gutka Sahib to eliminate drugs from Punjab, which turned out to be false.

Baltej Pannu stated, “The Bhagwant Mann government took action against Rajjit Singh and got reports that were pending before the High Court opened up. Rajjit Singh subsequently went absconding and is now in police custody. His questioning could reveal which people were involved with him.”

“The fact that we are still answering questions in front of so many cameras and microphones even after five years shows that we are satisfied with our work,” Baltej Pannu asserted, taking a swipe at the Opposition’s attempts to question the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s record on drugs.

Baltej Pannu challenged the Congress, stating, “Stop lecturing Punjab on the drug problem and answer for the decisions taken during your own tenure. Explain what action you had taken against the drug mafia and name even one initiative you had undertaken to stop the drug menace in Punjab.”

As part of strengthening the fight against drug abuse under the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’, Deputy Commissioner of Barnala Harpreet Singh has directed officials to convert two places into recreational facilities: a playground for children and a park for residents in Dhilwan Dakhan village of Barnala district.

The directions followed an intervention by Harwinder Singh Khalsa, Sarpanch of Dhilwan (South) village, during a meeting, where he highlighted how neglected public spaces had become a challenge for the village and could potentially be reclaimed to create a healthier environment for its residents.

The village has six panchayats, including Dhilwan (South), but lacks a large stadium for children and young people. An existing ground within his panchayat, originally intended for children to play, has become overgrown with unwanted trees and vegetation, rendering it unsuitable for recreational activities.

He also drew attention to a vacant plot in the village that has been overtaken by wild grass and bushes. He proposed that the plot be cleared and developed into a park, enabling residents to reclaim the space.

Taking cognisance of the issue, Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh immediately directed the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) to ensure that both locations in Dhilwan Dakhan were cleaned up and that a playground and a park were set up.

The proposed intervention seeks to address the drug menace not merely through enforcement but also by improving the village’s infrastructural environment.

Reclaiming neglected public spaces can reduce opportunities for illicit activities like drug abuse, and setting up recreational facilities can encourage youngsters to participate in sports and constructive community activities.

Under the Yudh Nashean Virudh, Punjab has been pursuing a multi-pronged approach against drug abuse, combining action against drug traffickers with prevention, de-addiction, rehabilitation and greater community participation.

The initiative recognises the importance of involving villages and panchayats in identifying local issues and mobilising residents to address them.

The Dhilwan proposal reflects how panchayat-level governance can contribute to this broader campaign.

The administration’s directions are expected to pave the way for the restoration of the two sites. The playground would provide children with a dedicated area for outdoor recreation, while the proposed park could become a shared community space.

The intervention also underscores the role of panchayats in the anti-drug campaign: identifying vulnerable locations, bringing them to the administration’s attention and proposing practical solutions. By converting neglected land into spaces for recreation and community use, the village aims to make its surroundings safer and strengthen local efforts to keep young people away from drugs.