BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh faced criticism from AAP leaders after he shared a video of two men apparently in an intoxicated state, claiming it reflected the condition of Punjab’s youth. Punjab Police and AAP leaders said the video was actually from Rajasthan.
The footage, showing two turbaned men apparently struggling to stand on a roadside, went viral purportedly showing them under the influence of a “zombie drug”.
Singh expressed anguish over what he described as the deteriorating drug situation in the state. However, the Punjab Police fact checked the video, stating that the clip was not from Punjab but from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal asked, “Did order come from PMO?”
In his post on X, Harbhajan wrote, “The evil eye has struck, my friend, on our Punjab... The governments have ruined Punjab and its Punjabi youth. It makes me want to cry seeing all this. Forgive my Punjab... Excuse Punjab. Where have they brought Punjab to? The Punjab that was once known for its rising fortunes, courage, and bravery, today, that same Punjab's youth is besieged by addictions. There's still time, save my Punjab. Save Punjab's youth.”
In a post on X, Punjab Police said the video being circulated was from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, and not Punjab, and had no connection with Punjab Police.
“The video being circulated is from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, not Punjab, and has no connection with Punjab Police. A Punjabi audio track does not make an incident a Punjab incident. We urge users and social media accounts to verify the facts and location before posting misleading content or tagging Punjab Police. Responsible sharing matters. @harbhajan_singh,” the post from the state police read.
The police also cautioned social media users against assuming the location of an incident based on the language used in the video.
However, the claims surrounding the substance shown in the video have not been independently verified.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal accused BJP MPs of spreading “lies” by claiming that a video showing people allegedly using drugs and being referred to as “zombies” was from Punjab.
In a post on X, Kejriwal said, “Many BJP people spread this lie together yesterday. Did the order come from the PMO? Does the PMO spread lies in the country?”
Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr Baljit Kaur hit back almost immediately, accusing the BJP leader of sharing a video from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan while presenting it as a Punjab incident.
Taking a direct swipe at Harbhajan Singh, she accused him of trying to please his political bosses and alleged that he was willing to “ruin Punjab's image” for BJP politics.
The video shows two turbaned men allegedly appearing disoriented and struggling to stand on a roadside. It was widely linked on social media to the so called “zombie drug”, with users claiming the men were under the influence of narcotics.
The AAP BJP exchange has since turned the video into another political battle over Punjab's drug crisis. The BJP is using the episode to question the government's handling of the issue, while AAP has accused the opposition of using misleading social media content to malign Punjab.
While reacting to the video shared by Harbhajan, who ditched the Aam Aadmi Party earlier this year to switch loyalties to the BJP, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that after incidents of drug hauls being seized at Gujarat ports, it was clear that the drugs were being pushed into Punjab from Gujarat, which is a BJP ruled state.
“Everyone also knows that the drug menace increased manifold during the tenure of the BJP SAD government. On the other hand, the AAP government has successfully launched a War on Drugs, through a concerted campaign targeted at cutting the drug supply chain by arresting smugglers and peddlers and treating and rehabilitating addicts,” he said.
“It was AAP which recognised his (Harbhajan) contribution to the state and thought he would be a role model for Punjabi youth. We thus sent him to represent the AAP and its political ideology in the Upper House in Parliament. But it is shocking that after joining the BJP, he is doing exactly the opposite,” he said.
Cheema alleged, “Posting such a video, labelling it as being shot in Punjab, is a conspiracy by the BJP to defame Punjab and set an anti Punjab and anti Punjabi narrative on the drugs,” saying that the vicious design of the BJP was clearly visible.
