Moga: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the Congress, SAD and BJP of having “pushed Punjab into drugs” and urged voters to stay away from these parties ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls, warning the state could slide back into addiction.
Addressing a state-level programme of the anti-drug campaign Yudh Nashian Virudh at Killi Chahlan village, Kejriwal lauded the Bhagwant Mann government’s crackdown on drug smugglers and said it marked a decisive break from earlier administrations. “When these parties ruled...every family in Punjab was affected by drugs. They destroyed the youth, the families, and the future of Punjab,” Kejriwal said, adding that for the first time, a government is taking “serious steps” against drug smugglers.
Kejriwal was joined by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, senior party leader Manish Sisodia, cabinet ministers, MLAs and party workers. Mann reached the venue after being discharged from Fortis Hospital, where he had been admitted on Sunday due to exhaustion.
Highlighting the campaign’s progress since its launch on March 1, 2025, Kejriwal said Punjab Police had seized around 2,000 kg of drugs over the past year, arrested key smugglers, demolished properties built with drug money and confiscated illegal assets. These steps, he said, had restored public confidence.
He also acknowledged the role of village defence committees (VDCs), comprising retired teachers, ex-servicemen, youth and sarpanchs, in identifying drug peddling while protecting informants’ identities through a dedicated mobile app. The committees, Kejriwal said, would also help ensure addicts receive treatment.
Meanwhile, CM Mann said that drug smugglers are now “running from the state, as a mass movement has been started against the drug menace”.