Amritsar, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the drug issue in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, alleging that the party was misusing central investigative agencies to target the state’s AAP government. He expressed confidence that voters would give AAP another mandate in 2027.
Singh was speaking to the media after appearing before the Amritsar court to record his statement in a defamation case filed by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. He said he had complete faith in the judiciary and that the case had been pending for nearly a decade, with legal arguments taking place in courts in Ludhiana and Amritsar.
Targeting the BJP, Singh alleged that the party was using investigative agencies to pursue political opponents and create cases against AAP leaders. Citing cases involving Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in Delhi, he claimed similar tactics were now being directed at Punjab. He said the people of the state would see through what he described as politically motivated actions.
Singh also criticised the alleged treatment of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Delhi airport, claiming that keeping a sitting Chief Minister waiting for three hours amounted to an insult to Punjab and its people. He further objected to Delhi Police personnel allegedly entering a gurdwara with shoes and lathis during protests at Jantar Mantar, urging the BJP not to disrespect Punjab and its people.
Questioning the BJP’s focus on drugs in Punjab, Singh asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had not shown similar concern during the farmers’ protest, when, he claimed, 750 farmers lost their lives. He alleged that the BJP was making drug trafficking a major political issue because the Punjab Assembly elections were approaching.
Singh also referred to drug seizures at Gujarat’s Mundra port, which is operated by the Adani group, citing reported seizures worth ₹260 crore, ₹900 crore and ₹20,000 crore. Referring to the largest seizure, he said the National Investigation Agency had told the Supreme Court that the accused should not be granted bail because of concerns that the proceeds could be used to finance terrorism in Pakistan. He questioned the BJP’s handling of drug trafficking while it was criticising Punjab over the issue.
Recalling his tenure as AAP’s Punjab in-charge from 2015 to 2017, Singh accused the then SAD-BJP government of allowing the drug crisis to worsen and a large-scale drug trade to flourish. He also alleged that the subsequent Congress government failed to take effective action during its five years in office.
In contrast, Singh said the Bhagwant Mann-led government had registered more than 96,000 cases related to drugs and taken action against those allegedly involved in the trade.
He also challenged the opposition’s criticism of law and order in Punjab, referring to reported deaths linked to poisonous liquor in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. He cited around 115 deaths in Aligarh and approximately 100 in Gujarat, urging political opponents to examine National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data rather than selectively targeting Punjab.
Highlighting the AAP government’s initiatives, Singh said the state had expanded access to free electricity, government employment, canal water for agriculture, health insurance coverage of up to ₹10 lakh, financial assistance for women and pilgrimage facilities under its programmes.
He argued that the government’s focus on education, healthcare, electricity, water, employment and women’s empowerment had created a favourable atmosphere for AAP in Punjab.
Singh alleged that the BJP wanted to remove a government focused on public welfare and expressed confidence that voters would reject the BJP, SAD and Congress in the 2027 Assembly elections. His remarks come amid intensifying political exchanges over drug trafficking, governance and the performance of Punjab’s ruling party ahead of the next electoral contest.
FOLLOW NOW
