Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Wednesday, 30 September declared that the state's deepening drug crisis cannot be resolved through political marches, yatras, or sloganeering — and demanded accountability from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government.

Bajwa's Challenge to the Centre

Bajwa's remarks came in direct response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Punjab for the culmination of the BJP's 13-day 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra'. The Opposition leader demanded that the Centre explain the measurable impact of its decision to expand the Border Security Force (BSF)'s operational jurisdiction from 15 km to 50 km along the Punjab-Pakistan border — a move made in 2021 on grounds of stronger border security.

'The Centre expanded the BSF's jurisdiction to 50 km citing the need for stronger border security. Punjab has since witnessed continued reports of cross-border drug smuggling, including the use of drones. What has the Centre achieved with this additional jurisdiction? How many major trafficking networks have actually been dismantled?' Bajwa said in a statement.

Drone Smuggling and Border Accountability

Bajwa pressed further, asking the Union government to quantify drone interceptions, identify cross-border handlers and financiers, and disclose how many trafficking networks have been prosecuted. He argued that if the border is the primary line of defence against narcotics entering Punjab, the Centre must own responsibility for securing it.

'If the border is the first line of defence against narcotics entering Punjab, the Union government must accept responsibility for securing that first line of defence,' he said. He also called on the Centre to detail concrete action taken against trafficking networks operating through other states, ports, and financial channels, asserting that 'Punjab cannot be treated merely as the destination of a supply chain whose origins and financial networks extend far beyond the state.'

Gangsters Running Networks from Jails in BJP-Ruled States

The Opposition leader also raised the issue of gangsters lodged in prisons in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Delhi, who he alleged are continuing to operate crime and extortion syndicates from behind bars. Bajwa demanded that the Centre and the respective state governments explain what steps are being taken to sever these networks.

'Gangsters lodged in jails in BJP-ruled states cannot be allowed to threaten, extort and terrorise Punjabis through networks operating outside prison,' he said.

AAP Also Under Fire

Notably, Bajwa was equally pointed in his criticism of the ruling AAP government in Punjab, rejecting any attempt by it to deflect blame entirely onto the Centre. He listed policing, local intelligence, action against street-level peddlers, rehabilitation, and protection of vulnerable communities as responsibilities that squarely fall on the state government.

'The BJP cannot wash its hands of the drug crisis by blaming AAP, and AAP cannot wash its hands by blaming the Centre. Punjab needs results, not rallies and slogans,' Bajwa said.

Dual Accountability Demanded

Wrapping up his statement, Bajwa directed pointed questions at both Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann: 'Who is bringing the drugs, who is financing them, who is protecting the networks, and why has the entire supply chain still not been dismantled?' This comes amid longstanding concerns that Punjab's drug epidemic — fuelled in part by cross-border smuggling through the Pakistan frontier — has resisted successive political campaigns and enforcement drives. With assembly politics sharpening around the issue, the pressure on both the Centre and the state to show verifiable outcomes is likely to intensify.