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Nabin starts statewide drive as Bittu alleges convoy attack by AAP supporters
Chandigarh: Punjab’s drug crisis came into sharp political focus on Friday as BJP national president Nitin Nabin launched the party’s statewide “Nasha Mukt Punjab” campaign from Pathankot, while senior BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that his convoy was attacked by AAP supporters while he was travelling to the programme.
The developments came a day after nearly 50 families affected by drug addiction and drug-related deaths gathered in Chandigarh, where mothers and relatives narrated the loss of their children and demanded stronger action against the drug trade.
Nabin launched the first BJP programme from Madhopur in Pathankot’s Sujanpur. The party has planned a 13-day campaign covering all 117 Assembly constituencies and around 4,000 kilometres across Punjab.
The BJP has planned four separate programmes. The first was launched from Pathankot on Friday. The second will begin from Fatehgarh Sahib on September 19, the third from Fazilka on September 20 and the fourth from Talwandi Sabo on September 21.
The four routes will cover different parts of Punjab before converging in Jalandhar on September 30. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the concluding programme.
The Pathankot programme was preceded by the alleged attack on Bittu’s convoy. Bittu alleged that his cavalcade was surrounded near Ghasitpura village, around eight kilometres from Batala on the Amritsar-Pathankot highway, while he was travelling to Pathankot.
He alleged that a large group of AAP supporters threw stones, eggs and tomatoes at the vehicles and claimed that some of those involved were carrying weapons. Bittu said his security personnel apprehended three people. He accused Batala MLA Sherry Kalsi and AAP leader Joban Randhawa of orchestrating the incident.
Bittu also said he had informed Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav about the incident. He warned that the Punjab Chief Minister and DGP would be responsible if anything happened to him.
AAP has disputed Bittu’s allegations and given a different account of the confrontation. A senior party leader claimed that the protesters were not targeting Bittu and alleged that the vehicles of AAP leaders Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak were the intended targets.
The competing claims are now subject to investigation.
The political confrontation unfolded against the backdrop of mounting accounts from families affected by Punjab’s drug crisis.
At the Chandigarh meeting on Thursday, organised under the banner “Mavan Mangdian Jawab”, or Mothers Demand Answers, nearly 50 families spoke about drug addiction and drug-related deaths in their families.
A woman from Abohar broke down while speaking about the death of her son following drug addiction. Her tears were impossible to ignore. She said she did not want free ration, free electricity or other government schemes and demanded freedom from “chitta”.
Another woman said she had lost both her sons to drug addiction. She is now working as a domestic help to support herself.
A woman from Abohar made a similar allegation, saying she had approached the authorities after learning about drug sales. The allegations made by the families have not been independently established.
The meeting also brought renewed attention to the murder of 29-year-old veterinary practitioner Amandeep Singh of Gidranwali village in Abohar. Amandeep was found brutally murdered inside a vacant government building earlier this month. He had suffered severe injuries to his face and head. Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder.
Amandeep’s family has alleged that the killing was linked to his opposition to drug peddling in the area.
His brother Ramandeep Singh alleged that Amandeep had informed police about drug peddlers operating in the area. The family also alleged that Amandeep had recorded a video about the drug trade shortly before his death and had received threats.
The family subsequently protested outside Abohar Civil Hospital and demanded action against police officials, alleging that their complaints had not received adequate attention.
The alleged connection between Amandeep’s murder and the drug trade remains part of the investigation.
The BJP has sought to make drug abuse and the alleged drug supply network a central issue in its statewide campaign.
At Pathankot, Nabin said the campaign would take the anti-drug message across Punjab. The party has also announced an anti-drug helpline as part of the campaign.
The four programmes are designed to cover all 117 Assembly constituencies. The Pathankot route will cover areas in northern Punjab, while the other routes will pass through central, Malwa and southern parts of the state before the campaign concludes in Jalandhar.
The AAP government has been running its own “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign against drugs and has repeatedly defended its action against drug trafficking and addiction.
The latest BJP campaign and the confrontation involving Bittu have added to the political exchanges over the issue, while families affected by addiction and drug-related deaths continue to demand action against those supplying drugs and greater accountability from the authorities.
With the BJP campaign now set to travel across Punjab, the drug issue is expected to remain a major political and public concern in the state.