Chandigarh, October 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his prediction that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would be voted out of Punjab in the upcoming Assembly elections, asserting that the state government would be formed according to the wishes of the people, not Shah.
Mann also alleged that Gujarat had become the country’s biggest supplier of drugs, questioning how large consignments of narcotics were reaching ports despite customs procedures and security arrangements.
Shah had said on Thursday that the AAP would be “wiped out” in Punjab in the upcoming elections and that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the government and eliminate the state’s drug menace by 2029.
Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Mann said, “The government will not be formed according to Amit Shah’s wishes. It will be formed according to the wishes of the 3.25 crore people of Punjab.”
The Chief Minister alleged that the biggest drug cartel in Punjab had flourished during the Akali Dal-BJP government’s tenure from 2007 to 2017. He also claimed that major smugglers had named several senior ministers and questioned the possibility of a compromise with those implicated.
Referring to drug seizures in Gujarat, Mann said authorities had themselves reported seizing narcotics worth ₹20,000 crore and asked why drugs continued to enter the country from the state.
Acknowledging the use of drones for cross-border drug trafficking into Punjab, he questioned how narcotics were reaching ports despite established customs checks and security arrangements. He argued that the arrival of consignments weighing thousands of kilograms raised serious questions about the supply chain.
Responding to the Opposition’s protest in the Punjab Assembly over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, Mann accused opposition parties of disrupting proceedings rather than participating in debate. He said legislators should take part in discussions and question-and-answer sessions, describing these as essential to the democratic process.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier visited Mansa and met Jhota’s family, assuring them that justice would be delivered. Jhota was allegedly murdered for raising his voice against drugs in Punjab. Shah’s meeting with the family lasted around 20 minutes.
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