CHANDIGARH: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday said the state’s drug crisis could not be addressed through political yatras, rallies and slogans, and questioned both the BJP-led Centre and the AAP-led Punjab government over their respective responsibilities in tackling the narcotics supply chain.
The Congress leader's remarks came as Shah, during the culmination of the BJP's 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in Punjab, made a drug-free Punjab a central BJP promise for the 2027 Assembly elections and set a December 2029 deadline to eliminate the drug menace in the state.
Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Punjab for the culmination of the BJP’s 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, Bajwa asked the Centre to explain the measurable impact of expanding the Border Security Force’s operational jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km in 2021.
“The Centre expanded the BSF’s jurisdiction to 50 km citing the need for stronger border security. Punjab has since witnessed continued reports of cross-border drug smuggling, including the use of drones. What has the Centre achieved with this additional jurisdiction? How many major trafficking networks have actually been dismantled?” Bajwa asked.
He said the BJP must also answer for the broader Punjab-Pakistan border security challenge.
“How many drones carrying narcotics and weapons have been intercepted? How many cross-border handlers, financiers and networks have been identified and prosecuted? If the border is the first line of defence against narcotics entering Punjab, the Union Government must accept responsibility for securing that first line of defence,” he said.
Bajwa also asked the Centre to explain what concrete action had been taken against trafficking networks operating through other states, ports and financial channels.
“Punjab cannot be treated merely as the destination of a supply chain whose origins and financial networks extend far beyond the state,” he said.
He also raised the issue of gangsters allegedly operating criminal networks from prisons outside Punjab, including jails in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
“Gangsters lodged in jails in BJP-ruled states cannot be allowed to threaten, extort and terrorise Punjabis through networks operating outside prison. The Centre and concerned state governments must explain what action is being taken to stop this,” Bajwa said.
At the same time, Bajwa said the AAP government could not escape responsibility by blaming the Centre. He said policing, local intelligence, action against peddlers, rehabilitation and protection of vulnerable communities remained crucial responsibilities of the Punjab government.
“BJP cannot wash its hands of the drug crisis by blaming AAP, and AAP cannot wash its hands by blaming the Centre. Punjab needs results, not rallies and slogans. Amit Shah and Bhagwant Mann must answer: who is bringing the drugs, who is financing them, who is protecting the networks, and why has the entire supply chain still not been dismantled?” he said.
Separately, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa questioned Shah over the Centre’s response to Punjab’s drug and border-security concerns ahead of the Home Minister’s visit to the state.
In a detailed post on X, Randhawa said Shah had not responded to his letters concerning Punjab’s issues and urged him to answer questions raised in the interest of the state during his visit.
“Shri @AmitShah ji, while sitting in Delhi, you do not reply to the letters I write regarding Punjab's issues. Today, as you visit Punjab yourself, I hope you will answer the questions raised in the interest of the state,” he said.
Randhawa said incidents of drugs and weapons being smuggled into Punjab through drones from across the border continued to come to light.
“When the security of the international border is in the hands of the BSF, why is this supply chain not being completely broken?” he asked.
He also sought details of the ground-level results of anti-drone technology being deployed along the border and asked when the entire border belt would receive effective coverage.