The youth of Punjab have given a befitting reply to the promotion of “Udta Punjab”. A record 20,000 youth and sportspersons participated in Punjab's biggest 'Youth Run Punjab-2026' in Bathinda and gave a clear message against drugs and in favor of sports. Giving a big response to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's 'War on Drugs' campaign, this massive participation presented a picture of 'Chhadta Punjab, Khelta Punjab aur Bhagta Punjab – Rangla Punjab'.
Received T-shirt and participation medal
Children, youth, women and elders participated in this function with great enthusiasm. The winners were given cash prizes up to Rs 11,000, while all participants received T-shirts and participation medals.
On this, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter: “This is the new Punjab. That lost hope is back. You can see the spark of enthusiasm in our youth. With the support of the Punjab government, the youth are moving forward on the path of eradicating the menace of drugs from Punjab. This is very encouraging.”
Speaking to the media, OSD to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Rajbir Singh Ghuman said that this marathon has been planned at the behest of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He said, “This is the third marathon of this series. It started from Mohali and today around 20,000 people have participated in it in Bathinda.”
direct aim at propaganda
Rajbir Singh Ghuman said, “People of all ages and backgrounds have participated with great enthusiasm. This shows the love and passion of Punjabis for sports and fitness.” Taking a direct aim at the propaganda that shows Punjab in a negative light, Rajbir Singh Ghuman said, “The participation of people in large numbers in the marathon has given a befitting reply to those who had tried to create a wrong image of Punjab through propaganda like 'Udta Punjab'. Today we want to show them 'Chadhata Punjab, Khelta Punjab aur Bhagta Punjab – Rangla Punjab'.”
Move towards a drug free future
Rajbir Singh Ghuman said, “This participation is completely natural and voluntary. People have registered themselves and have come this far. The enthusiasm we are seeing today is a very strong message that Punjab is moving towards a future of sports, fitness and drug free.”
Set a new benchmark for marathons
Congratulating the people of Bathinda for the tremendous response, Rajbir Singh Ghuman said, “I congratulate the people of Bathinda for this tremendous response. The participation of the people here has set a new benchmark for our upcoming marathons to be held in Patiala and Ludhiana.” Rajbir Singh Ghuman said, “We will continue to organize such events across Punjab. I appeal to the people to continue supporting this initiative and encourage our youth to choose sports and fitness over drugs.”
The huge participation in Bathinda showed the growing enthusiasm among the youth of Punjab towards sports, fitness and a drug-free future, further strengthening the message of the 'War Against Drugs' campaign that the youth of Punjab are saying 'No' to drugs and 'Yes' to sports.