Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, the Punjab Cabinet minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, has been reiterating during his election campaign that the state’s drug problem will be eradicated by the end of this year. This promise, which has been frequently echoed by the AAP, has left many skeptical due to past unfulfilled pledges.
During the 2022 Assembly elections campaign, AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had promised to make Punjab drug-free within three months of forming the government. Similarly, on Independence Day in 2023, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had assured that the state would be free from drugs within a year.
“CM Mann has affirmed that Punjab will be drug-free by December 31, 2024. He has conducted three meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explore foreign technology to curb the use of drones at the border,” Dhaliwal informs voters.
However, Mukhtiar Singh Patti, who had previously highlighted the drug menace in Punjab by writing a message on his son’s shroud, remains disillusioned with such assurances. Patti’s data on drug addicts in the state had been used by Kejriwal during the 2017 Punjab Assembly election campaign.
“Captain Amarinder Singh had sworn on the Gutka to make Punjab drug-free but failed to deliver. The drug problem has escalated under the AAP government’s two-year tenure,” Patti observes.
Despite facing health challenges, Patti’s organization, Kafan Bol Peya, continues its fight against drug addiction. Recently, Jagtar Singh Sandhwan, representing the organization, staged a protest outside the Tarn Taran deputy commissioner’s office to spotlight the issue.
“I have three sons, two of whom are addicts. People hesitate to acknowledge addiction in their families, but silence will only exacerbate the problem,” says Jagtar Singh, who has accused two police officers at Bhikhiwind police station of involvement in the drug nexus.
Contrarily, Dhaliwal claims that the government has disrupted the police-smuggler nexus.
“We have successfully broken the nexus between police, politicians, and smugglers. Heroin is being smuggled from Pakistan via drones, and daily interceptions by the police and BSF are ongoing,” he asserts.
However, Jagtar Singh disputes this, alleging that the nexus remains intact. “While I believe in the CM’s intentions against smugglers, his directives are not effectively implemented on the ground,” he contends.
Mukhtiar Singh Patti concludes, “The claims of Punjab becoming drug-free by December 31, 2024, lack credibility. Either politicians are indifferent to the drug issue or they are disconnected from the ground realities.”