New Delhi, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the BJP’s campaign against drugs in Punjab, questioning the persistence of narcotics trafficking in BJP-ruled states and raising concerns over drug seizures at Gujarat’s Mundra port.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal challenged Shah to demonstrate tangible results in Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa before making claims about eliminating drugs in Punjab. Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj also targeted the BJP and the Union Home Minister over drug trafficking, alleged corruption and law enforcement.
Sharing a media report on X about the illegal drug trade in Bihar despite prohibition, Kejriwal questioned why the drug menace had not been eradicated in states governed by the BJP.
“Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa all have BJP governments. Why has the drug menace not been eradicated there? Have no deadlines been set for eliminating drugs in these states?” Kejriwal asked.
He further challenged Shah to demonstrate that the BJP could effectively tackle drug trafficking in the states it governs before making commitments about Punjab.
The AAP also alleged that the BJP’s long association with political power in Bihar had failed to prevent the growth of the illegal drug trade. It accused the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of contributing to Punjab’s drug crisis during their years in power together.
Defending the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s anti-drug campaign, the party said more than 1.27 lakh arrests had been made in drug-related cases since 2022, over 7,260 kg of heroin had been seized, and 1,288 criminal modules had been busted. The AAP said it remained committed to eliminating drugs and gangsters from Punjab.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP and Akali Dal governments of pushing Punjab into the drug crisis. He alleged that the issue had caused widespread harm to the state’s younger generation and claimed that a drug trade worth thousands of crores of rupees had operated during the previous governments’ tenure.
Singh also questioned the BJP’s response to the seizure of narcotics at Gujarat’s Mundra port. He referred to a reported seizure of drugs worth ₹20,000 crore and alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had told the Supreme Court that the accused should not be granted bail because the proceeds were being used to finance terrorist training in Pakistan.
He asked why the BJP had not publicly explained what action had been taken in connection with the seizure, including whether the individuals concerned had been questioned. Singh said details of the matter could be examined through government replies in Parliament.
Taking aim at Gujarat’s prohibition policy, Singh also cited an incident in which around 100 people reportedly died after consuming illicit liquor. He questioned the BJP’s credibility in lecturing other states on substance-related issues.
Meanwhile, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the Union Home Minister over several alleged corruption cases in Delhi, including rice and bicycle procurement matters.
Bharadwaj asked why the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had not questioned Manjinder Singh Sirsa or named him as an accused in a case involving the alleged theft of five crore kilograms of rice. He also referred to a complaint submitted to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) about an alleged bicycle procurement scam, claiming that bicycles costing ₹4,000 had been purchased for ₹7,000.
He questioned why no action had been taken against the minister concerned and raised further concerns over an alleged ₹700-crore health scam, in which, he claimed, files had been burnt. Bharadwaj asked what steps the ACB had taken to investigate these allegations.
Turning to international drug trafficking, Bharadwaj said narcotics entering India through its borders fell within the Union Home Ministry’s area of responsibility. He questioned how drugs originating in Afghanistan and elsewhere were reaching Indian markets despite the Centre’s security arrangements.
He also cited drug-related concerns in Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir, demanding that Shah explain the steps taken to prevent narcotics from entering the country and reaching local communities.
The AAP leaders called on the Union Home Minister and the BJP to provide answers on drug trafficking and the handling of the cases they raised, while defending the Punjab government’s ongoing anti-drug drive.
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