Chandigarh, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday accused the BJP of using misleading social media content to tarnish Punjab’s image and criticised former cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh for sharing a video that he claimed was falsely presented as an incident from the state.
Cheema said the video shared by Harbhajan Singh was traced by the Punjab Police to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and had no connection with Punjab. He alleged that the BJP’s social media machinery was using videos from other states and circulating them as incidents from Punjab to malign the state and its youth.
Expressing disappointment with Harbhajan Singh, Cheema said the former cricketer, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP to represent Punjab’s interests, should use his public platform to raise issues concerning the state’s youth and encourage them towards sports rather than amplify what he described as BJP propaganda.
“Harbhajan Singh should have used his platform to encourage Punjab’s youngsters to take up sports and raise issues concerning their future, rather than sharing misleading content that tarnishes the image of Punjab,” Cheema said.
He alleged that the BJP was attempting to undermine the Bhagwant Mann government’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’, by spreading false information about Punjab.
Cheema said the state government was pursuing a multi-pronged strategy against drugs while simultaneously expanding sports infrastructure to provide young people with healthier alternatives.
According to Cheema, more than 3,000 sports stadiums have been constructed in Punjab, while another 6,000 are under development. He said the government was investing in sports to encourage youngsters to stay away from drugs and pursue productive opportunities.
Targeting the BJP over the drug issue, Cheema said the menace had intensified during the 10-year SAD-BJP government from 2007 to 2017. He claimed that terms such as “chitta” and “smack” became widely associated with Punjab during that period and alleged that many young people suffered because of drug addiction.
Cheema said the BJP should examine its own record instead of attempting to malign Punjab through misleading social media posts.
“Punjab’s youth and farmers will not be misled by the BJP’s propaganda. The people of Punjab can distinguish between the AAP government’s work on the ground and the BJP’s attempts to malign the state through misleading social media posts,” he said.
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