Chandigarh, November 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab chief spokesperson Baltej Pannu on Sunday defended the Bhagwant Mann government’s anti-drug campaign, citing an increase in convictions in NDPS cases and the approval of 35 dedicated courts to expedite trials. He accused opposition parties of politicising drug-related deaths instead of acknowledging the measures taken to tackle the menace.
Addressing a press conference, Pannu said the state’s NDPS conviction rate had risen from around 58 per cent during the previous Congress government to 89 per cent in 2026. He attributed the improvement to what he described as better investigations and evidence presented by the Punjab Police.
Citing figures, Pannu said the conviction rate was 80 per cent in 2022, 81 per cent in 2023, 85 per cent in 2024 and 88 per cent in 2025. In 2026, convictions were secured in 1,634 of the 1,831 cases disposed of, taking the rate to 89 per cent, he said.
He also referred to the state Cabinet’s approval for 35 dedicated NDPS courts and 385 additional posts, including 35 Additional District and Sessions Judges, to speed up the disposal of drug-related cases.
According to Pannu, around 20,000 NDPS cases are registered annually in Punjab, resulting in approximately 27,000 arrests. He said 52,777 cases were pending as of August 31, 2026, and argued that dedicated courts would help address the backlog.
Defending the government’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign, Pannu said more than one lakh people had joined Village Defence Committees and Ward Defence Committees to support the anti-drug drive. He described public participation as a key component of the campaign.
Pannu accused the previous Akali-BJP government of allowing the drug problem to grow and alleged that former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had failed to fulfil his promise to tackle the menace. He also claimed that no minister, MLA or AAP office-bearer had been linked to drug cases since the Mann government took office in 2022.
Citing other government initiatives, he said the administration had expanded canal-water access to agricultural fields from 22 per cent to 88 per cent, provided 600 units of free electricity to eligible households and introduced health cards offering cashless treatment up to Rs 10 lakh.
Pannu said the AAP government would seek a fresh mandate in the 2027 Assembly elections on the basis of its performance and pledged that ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ would continue until drugs were eradicated from Punjab.
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