Punjab Parties Turn Drug Crisis Into Major Political Battleground Ahead of 2027 Polls

Anti-drug campaigns are turning into a busy political race across Punjab ahead of the state Assembly elections in early 2027.

BJP Yatra And Protests

The BJP started a 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra on September 18 with four simultaneous processions using trucks, tractors and motorcycles. The campaign is set to end in Jalandhar on September 30. The party aims to attack the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over law and order and governance. During the roadshows, AAP supporters showed black flags in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana. In Bathinda, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan walked through parts of Maiserkhana after low-hanging wires stopped his vehicle. The BJP faced a lukewarm crowd response in Doraha, while shopkeepers in Batala stopped the yatra to ask the Union government to address concerns over UPI transaction charges.

SAD Campaign And Reactions

The Shiromani Akali Dal launched its own Mawan Dhiyan Insaaf Yatra from Bathinda, led by MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. This campaign features protest marches where women from affected families submit memorandums at SDM offices. Harsimrat claimed drugs are now available through home delivery and blamed both the AAP and previous Congress governments for failing to tackle the issue. SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema stated that the scale of the problem demands public discussion. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann blamed the previous BJP-SAD alliance and the Congress government under Captain Amarinder Singh for letting drugs spread. Mann also asked the BJP-led Centre to address drug routes through Gujarat and Mundra port. Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa criticised the BJP yatra in Amritsar and urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to focus on cross-border trafficking and drone movements from Pakistan. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon accused the AAP government of protecting the drug mafia and promised to clear drugs from the state in two years if voted to power.