Shah sets a 2029 deadline in Punjab; AAP asks why the drug factories are all in BJP-run states

Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the families of three people who lost their lives after raising their voices against drug traffickers in Punjab and set a deadline of December 31, 2029 to eradicate the drug network from the state.
Shah visited the families of Bikramjit Singh in Gurdaspur, Gulzar Singh in Sangrur and anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. Jhota was shot dead inside a medical store in Mansa on October 13.
Shah said that under the AAP government, Punjab's youth were falling prey to drugs while those who raised their voices against the menace were not safe. Punjab DGP M.F. Farooqui said around 1,200 to 1,300 personnel were deployed for the visit.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann hit back at Shah. 'Now that the elections have come, you are worried about Punjab,' he said. Mann also raised the demand for an anti-drone system and border security, and announced that the Jhota case would be handed over to the CBI.
AAP ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora questioned why the Centre had not acted against pharmaceutical units supplying synthetic and prescription drugs to Punjab. Cheema said the main sources are in BJP- and Congress-ruled states such as Haryana, Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and that Punjab had written to the Centre on October 31, 2025 and September 21, 2026 seeking tighter NDPS controls.
BJP Punjab vice president Fatehjang Singh Bajwa said Shah's visit conveyed the message that the party would fulfil its commitment to eradicate drugs from the state. The proposed meetings came amid a political debate over drug trafficking, with the BJP targeting the AAP government and demanding stronger action against those involved in the illegal trade.