AAP turned Punjab into 'Udta Punjab', BJP will make it 'Ubharda Punjab': Pushkar Singh Dhami

Hoshiarpur: Uttarakhand Chief Minister and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of pushing Punjab deeper into the drug menace and said the BJP would restore its lost glory by making it an "Ubharda Punjab" (rising Punjab).

Addressing public gatherings during the BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' at Garhdiwala, Dasuya and Nangal Bihalan in Hoshiarpur district, Dhami alleged that the drug menace had assumed serious proportions in the state and that drug traffickers were operating freely due to the alleged failure of the government and police to effectively tackle the problem.

Dhami said the BJP had adopted a five-point strategy to fight the drug menace, including strict action against drug peddlers, breaking the supply chain through which drugs enter and circulate, targeting the financial assets and networks of drug mafias, rehabilitation of drug-affected youth and involving all sections of society in the campaign.


He said the 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' is not a political exercise aimed at seeking votes but an effort to save Punjab's youth from drugs and turn the campaign into a people's movement.

"The youth of Punjab is not a consumer of drugs but the future of the country," Dhami said, urging people to channel their energy towards society, the economy, sports and nation-building.

Dhami said he had met families who had lost their children to drugs and listened to the pain of mothers who had lost their young sons. He said their experiences showed the gravity of the drug problem and underlined the need for sustained and coordinated efforts to address it.

He alleged that while small-time offenders were being arrested, major drug handlers, financiers and those operating the wider network were escaping effective action. He also claimed that cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were taking years to conclude and some accused were getting bail.

Referring to the death of a Dalit man, Gulzar Singh, in Sangrur, Dhami said people speaking out against the drug mafia should not be intimidated or silenced.

He accused the AAP government of failing to fulfil its earlier promises to eradicate drugs within a few months and said the deadlines announced by its leaders had already passed.

Gulzar Singh committed suicide on September 7 in Sangrur. His family had alleged that he was harassed and subjected to casteist slurs for questioning Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about the supply of drugs at an event in Dirba.

Dhami said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had resolved to make Punjab drug-free and appealed to people to support the effort.

Former Union minister Som Prakash said the BJP launched the anti-drug campaign across all 117 Assembly constituencies and that the yatras covered around 4,000 km. He said the campaign would culminate in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Punjab BJP general secretary Parminder Singh Brar alleged that people are unable to freely raise their voice against the drug menace under the present government.