BJP MP Tarun Chugh visits drug-hit families in Hoshiarpur, slams Bhagwant Mann govt
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh on Friday, 25 September visited families devastated by drug abuse in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab' campaign, warning that the state is 'sitting on a volcano' if the drug menace is not urgently addressed.
What Chugh Saw on the Ground
Meeting affected households across Hoshiarpur, Chugh said the suffering was unmistakable. 'The pain visible in the eyes of mothers, sisters, widows and children is not the tragedy of individual families but the pain of Punjab. There is anger in the eyes of the people and anguish in their hearts,' he said.
He painted a stark picture of intergenerational loss — mothers losing sons, sisters left with Rakhi threads and no brothers to tie them to, children growing up without parents. 'In some families, more than one child has been lost to drugs. The shoulders that were supposed to become the support of ageing parents are today carrying the bodies of their own children,' Chugh added.
Attack on the Bhagwant Mann Government
Chugh levelled sharp criticism at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging it had failed to dismantle drug-trafficking networks and disrupt the supply chains that keep narcotics flowing across the state. He said the government had not provided a 'clear and effective roadmap capable of producing results on the ground.'
The BJP leader also raised the cases involving Mohanjeet Singh and Gulzar Singh, insisting that asking questions of the state government cannot be treated as a criminal act and that allegations in both cases must be properly investigated with accountability established wherever wrongdoing is found.
Law and Order Concerns
Beyond drugs, Chugh flagged what he described as a deteriorating security environment, noting that both citizens and police personnel are operating under increasing threat. He cited incidents involving gangsters, extortion networks, and attacks on police establishments as evidence that the Mann government was struggling to maintain law and order.
This visit is part of a broader BJP outreach across Punjab ahead of a politically charged period, with the party seeking to build a narrative around the AAP government's governance record on public safety.
Chugh's Warning
'Punjab is sitting on a volcano. If we do not save this generation today, the next generation will pay the price,' Chugh said, calling the drug crisis an existential threat to the state's social fabric. He reiterated that the state government's primary responsibility is to protect its youth, and argued that responsibility is currently being abdicated.