Chandigarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set December 31, 2029 as the deadline to wipe out Punjab's drug trade, vowing that the CBI will chase even the most powerful accused in the killings of anti-drug activists.
Addressing a Vijayadashami gathering in Ludhiana on Tuesday, Shah said the state's Aam Aadmi Party government had promised to end drugs within three months of taking office but had failed even after five years. "By 31 December 2029, Punjab will be free from the drug trade. We are committed to building a Nasha Mukt Punjab," he said.
Shah spent the day meeting families in Gurdaspur, Sangrur and Mansa, including relatives of Bikramjit Singh, Gulzar Singh and anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had done the right thing by handing the Jhota case to the CBI and urged him to transfer two more cases to the agency.
Rejecting criticism over large drug seizures in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Maharashtra, Shah said narcotics worth ₹20,000 crore had been intercepted there and asked how drugs still reached Punjab. "Is it even possible for drugs to enter Punjab without political patronage?" he said, adding that his visit carried no political agenda.
Mann replied within hours. "Now that the elections have come, you are worried about Punjab," he said, recalling that the BJP had shared power with the Akali Dal from 2007 to 2017, when drug abuse grew. He said he had repeatedly raised the anti-drone system for the 500-km border with Pakistan but the Centre had not cleared it.
The Chief Minister said the war on drugs would continue. "You can come here, but don't do politics here," he said.