Nawanshahr/Chandigarh, May 16
To eliminate drugs from Punjab entirely, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a statewide 'Nasha Mukti Yatra' from Langroya village in Nawanshahr. This campaign is part of the Punjab government’s ‘War Against Drugs’ initiative, aimed at raising awareness about drug abuse in every village.
Addressing the public during this event, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Before coming here, I thought people might say that after the ‘War Against Drugs’ initiative, drug use has decreased a bit. But I was overjoyed when people told me their village is now completely drug-free. Drugs are no longer sold here.”
Kejriwal mentioned that the local Sarpanch told him 99% of the drugs have been eradicated, leaving only traces behind. He said, “We need to remove even these traces and uproot drugs completely.”
He criticized previous governments for tarnishing Punjab’s reputation. He said, “Earlier, films like Udta Punjab were made about drugs in Punjab. There was a time when Punjab was called the ‘Golden Sparrow’ and was the number one state in the country. Today, it has fallen to the 17th or 18th position. This happened because previous governments’ ministers themselves carried drugs in their vehicles and distributed them across Punjab. They didn’t just support drug traffickers; they were drug traffickers themselves.”
Kejriwal added, “But by God’s grace, an honest government was formed in Punjab in 2022 under the Aam Aadmi Party. None of our ministers use drugs, nor do any of our ministers have connections with drug mafia. This is why today, major drug traffickers are being jailed. Over 10,000 traffickers have been arrested in the last two and a half months, of which only 1,500 are small-time traffickers, while 8,500 are major ones. No one dared to arrest them before.” He also mentioned the seizure of 85 kilograms of heroin in Tarn Taran.
Kejriwal said, “Today, bulldozers are running over drug traffickers’ homes. No one ever thought such a time would come when traffickers’ houses would be bulldozed.” He appealed to the people to join the fight against drugs and said, “If the three crore people of Punjab join hands with the government, no one can stop us from eradicating drugs.” He declared, “We will eradicate drugs from Punjab, even if it costs me my life.”
He announced the launch of a public movement against drugs in Punjab, starting today. This movement will involve drug awareness campaigns in every village. Over the next one and a half months, ministers, MLAs, and leaders will visit all 13,000 villages to raise awareness. He urged people to support local police administrations and refrain from assisting or bailing out individuals involved in drug activities.
Kejriwal appealed to families of drug users to admit them to rehabilitation centers as soon as possible. He said that earlier, rehabilitation centers were in a terrible state, where people were chained and beaten. “We have ended this system. Now all rehabilitation centers are air-conditioned and equipped with CCTV cameras,” he added.
The AAP National Convener said that the government aims to build sports grounds in all 13,000 villages of Punjab within the next year to keep the youth away from drugs and promote their health. Additionally, 3,000 larger villages will have gyms alongside sports grounds to help young people lead healthier lives and have better future.
He also stated that his government has provided 55,000 young people with government jobs without any bribes or recommendations. “Earlier, government jobs were impossible without bribes and recommendations. But we have given jobs based on merit to youth from ordinary families. We plan to create more job opportunities on a large scale,” Kejriwal said. He emphasized that providing employment and sports facilities for young people would prevent them from falling into the trap of drugs.
Kejriwal congratulated Punjab’s Sarpanches and police officers for successfully running campaigns to eliminate drugs and praised all the police officials leading this initiative.