CM Mann hits back at BJP ahead of ‘Nasha Mukt Yatra’, says Punjab being unfairly targeted for drugs

CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Yatra’ in poll-bound Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused the opposition of portraying Punjab as a state plagued by drugs and lawlessness while ignoring the wider drug-smuggling network across the country.

The BJP’s yatra is scheduled to begin on September 18 and is expected to make drug abuse and law and order key issues ahead of the Assembly elections.

Mann said his government was taking decisive action against gangsters and the drug menace, while the opposition was resorting to “vulture politics” instead of presenting a vision for Punjab. He said 10 gangsters had been brought back to Punjab from abroad since January and nearly 80 per cent of the drugs coming from Pakistan had been eliminated following the government’s crackdown.

“When you have no issue, you start feeding on every unfortunate incident. This is not politics of public service, this is vulture politics. Punjab deserves better than this cheap politics.”

He said the government had adopted a comprehensive roadmap to dismantle the nexus of drugs, gangsters and organised crime.

“Our fight is not limited to making arrests. We are identifying networks, intercepting consignments, choking financial channels and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

Targeting the BJP over drug smuggling, Mann said drugs were being smuggled into Punjab across the 532-km border from Pakistan, but questioned why large consignments were being seized in BJP-ruled states.

“Desperate attempts are being made to smuggle drugs into Punjab from across the 532-kilometre border. The consignments being pushed into Punjab may be in small packets, but the BJP, especially the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, should answer why tons of such consignments are available in BJP-ruled states.”

He claimed, “Punjab Police has recovered a huge consignment of such drugs from Mundra Port, which is in the native state of the Union Home Minister. The Union Home Minister is not able to check drugs in his own state and is planning to undertake an anti-drug yatra in Punjab.”

“In Gujarat, lakhs of tonnes of drugs are being seized but no action is taken, while Punjab has launched the country’s biggest campaign against drugs. The entire nation knows that around 3,000 kg of drugs were seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat, but no meaningful action has been taken against those responsible.”

Mann also accused previous governments of giving political patronage to gangsters and said opposition parties had no moral authority to question the current crackdown.

“The people of Punjab have not forgotten the black days when gangsters enjoyed political patronage and criminals were allowed to operate with impunity.”

“Do not stoop so low by politicising every tragedy as Punjab has suffered enough because of such politics.”

Cautioning political parties against misleading people through yatras and selective narratives, Mann said, “You cannot mislead Punjabis forever. The wise people of the state government know who fought against drugs and gangsters and who gave criminals political shelter.”

He urged the opposition to join hands with the government instead of indulging in “politics of opportunism” and said his government would not be distracted by political criticism.

Mann added, “The Union Government has failed to address the problem of gangsters at a national level. Punjab gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has been given shelter by BJP Government in Gujarat jail, and he isn’t even being allowed to be brought to Punjab.”

Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said Punjab Police had registered 60,582 FIRs and arrested 79,784 drug smugglers, including 708 major accused in 354 commercial-scale cases, since the launch of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ anti-drugs campaign.

“Overall drug recoveries during this period touched a record 3,803 kg of heroin, 976 kg of opium, 46 tonnes of poppy husk, 1,325 kg of ganja, and 78 lakh intoxicant capsules/tablets. Punjab accounts for approximately 60 per cent of India’s total heroin recovery.”

Yadav said properties worth Rs 366 crore had been frozen in 914 cases under the NDPS Act, while police arrested 102 hawala operatives and recovered Rs 11 crore in hawala funds.

He added, “Punjab was the first state to deploy the Artificial Intelligence-driven Punjab Artificial Intelligence System (PAIS), executing 4.60 crore searches leading to arrest of 4 lakh accused.”

Yadav said the Counter Intelligence wing had recovered assault rifles, pistols, IEDs, RDX, hand grenades, RPGs and other explosives, while intercepting 952 drones out of 1,493 sightings.