Union Minister Shivraj Chouhan accuses Punjab government of sheltering drug peddlers

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Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan meets with families affected by drug addiction as part of Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra at Talwandi Sabo, in Bathinda on September 21, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

Hitting out at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)government in Punjab, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday (September 21, 2026) said the party has failed to eradicate the drug menace, despite Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann repeatedly setting deadlines to end drug addiction and in fact “those deadlines kept dying one after another.”

He was addressing a public gathering at Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district as he flagged off the fourth march (Yatra) of the ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ organised by the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He alleged that Punjab, under the patronage of the AAP government, is drowning in the quagmire of drugs. “AAP president Arvind Kejriwal used to make grand promises of giving Punjab a new development model. Today, Punjab has got the ‘MOD Model’ - Model of Drug Development!” he said.

“The AAP is running a government of crime, corruption and commission in Punjab and is engaged in the work of providing protection to drug peddlers,” alleged Mr. Chouhan. He assured that once the BJP assumes power in the State, it would dismantle the entire drug network within six months.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, addressing a gathering, said that Punjab was once known for its prosperity, vibrancy and hardworking youth, but today the drug menace has emerged as a major challenge to the future of its young generation.

He said that turning the campaign against drugs into a people’s movement is the need of the hour. The fight against drugs, he said, is not the fight of any political party, but a fight to save the youth and future generations.

The BJP’s march ‘Yatra’, which began on September 18, will continue till September 30 and cover around 4,000 kilometres across all 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab.

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