Cheema cites Punjab drug-use decline, targets BJP and previous governments

Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday accused the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress of contributing to the drug problem in the state. He said drug use in Punjab had declined by 5.5%, citing figures he said were based on Government of India data.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged that the Akali Dal-BJP government had brought chitta, other drugs and gangsterism to Punjab between 2007 and 2017. He accused the Congress government, in office from 2017 to 2022, of failing to curb the problem despite promising action against drugs.

Cheema said the AAP government had set up an Anti-Gangster Task Force after taking office. He said 2,105 proclaimed offenders had been apprehended and 81,499 people arrested in operations against gangsters and crime.

Under the Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign, the state had registered 68,545 drug-related cases and arrested nearly 90,000 accused since March 31, 2025, he said. Agencies had seized around 450 kg of heroin, drug money worth more than ₹23 crore, over 67 lakh intoxicant capsules, about 4,200 injections and 84 kg of intoxicating powder, he added.

Cheema cited an October 25 newspaper report which, he said, showed drug use declining by 5.5% in Punjab while rising by 28% in Delhi, 18% in Uttar Pradesh, 42% in Haryana and 51% in Madhya Pradesh. He said the figures were based on central government data. He cited reported remarks by Bihar DGP Kundan Krishnan urging other states to learn from Punjab.

Cheema criticised the BJP's record in Gujarat, alleging that despite more than 30 years of BJP rule, the state had become a major source for drugs spreading across the country. He said the Punjab government would continue action against drug traffickers, gangsters and organised crime.

BJP leaders Sunil Jakhar and Tarun Chugh, meanwhile, accused the Bhagwant Mann government of failing to curb drug trafficking and maintain law and order in Punjab. Jakhar cited the reported death of a 16-year-old boy allegedly due to drug abuse in Fazilka's Jalalabad, claiming that the boy's father had also died due to drugs, as per a report by news agency ANI. He said he would approach the Governor and the Election Commission, while also exploring legal options to seek a ban on the entry of AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia into Punjab.

Chugh alleged that drugs were being sold openly in the state and accused the government of failing to dismantle criminal and drug networks. He also cited alleged attacks on police establishments, including grenade attacks on 23 police stations and a rocket launcher attack on the Punjab Police headquarters, to question the state's law and order situation. He claimed that gangsters were operating without fear and described Punjab as the "crime capital of India".