CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab launched a scathing attack on previous Akali Dal-BJP and Congress governments, accusing them of decades of negligence and complicity in Punjab’s drug crisis.
AAP spokesperson and Member of Parliament Malvinder Singh Kang alleged that the Akali Dal-BJP government, particularly from 2007 onward, played a key role in institutionalizing the drug trade, with several top leaders shielding traffickers.
“Instead of creating job opportunities for Punjab’s youth, they facilitated the drug trade, pushing an entire generation into addiction,” Kang said.
He also criticized the Congress, specifically Captain Amarinder Singh’s government, for failing to address the issue.
“Captain Amarinder vowed to end the drug menace within four months. His government not only failed but actively contributed to the deepening crisis,” he added.
Kang further said the current AAP government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach toward drug trafficking.
"Our government has not only arrested drug kingpins but also confiscated their properties and dismantled their empires. The Mann government is committed to eradicating drugs from Punjab entirely," he said.
AAP Punjab Working President and MLA Sharry Kalsi also blamed the Akali-BJP government for allowing drugs to flood the state.
"By 2011, under the Akali-BJP rule, drugs were flowing freely across Punjab’s borders, destroying countless families and lives. Congress, instead of correcting these wrongs, let the problem fester further. Punjab’s youth were robbed of their future," Kalsi alleged.
Youth leader Sonia Mann, who recently joined AAP, criticized both previous regimes for abandoning Punjab’s youth.
"Under the Akali-BJP and Congress regimes, Punjab’s youth were abandoned. They were pushed into addiction instead of being empowered. Families sent their children abroad out of fear for their future here," she said.
She alleged that under the Akali government, substances like heroin became rampant in Punjab, a problem that was virtually non-existent earlier.
Sonia further alleged that during ground-level campaigns in border areas, she witnessed how drug smugglers devastated families by entrapping young men and tearing apart the social fabric.
She said, "Under the AAP government, over 800 criminals involved in drug trafficking have been arrested, and properties worth Rs 500 crore have been seized. Punjab has achieved an 85 per cent conviction rate in drug-related cases, a significant improvement compared to the Congress government's rate of 59 per cent in 2018."