Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (September 17, 2026) described the claims behind the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s ‘Yudh Nashe Virudh’ (war against drugs) campaign as purely “hollow”, even as party leaders questioned the AAP’s right to remain in power and called for the CM’s resignation.
The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government had no moral right to remain in power, BJP State president Kewal Singh Dhillon and former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said at a press conference here. The CM must resign, they demanded.
“If the BJP forms the government in Punjab, drugs would be eradicated from the State within two years,” Mr. Dhillon said, adding that the BJP was in power in 22 States. The party had established a track record by eliminating Naxalism, gang-related violence in Uttar Pradesh, and violence in Kashmir, he said. “On the basis of this record, we promise the people of Punjab that we will eliminate drugs from Punjab,” the BJP leader said.
Drug mafias were selling narcotics across Punjab, Mr. Jakhar alleged, adding that prisons had become safe havens for drug smugglers.
The BJP has announced that it will begin State-wide ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras’ from September 18, aimed at highlighting the prevailing drug menace. The yatras are expected to cover all 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab.
Published – September 17, 2026 07:05 pm IST
