Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson R.P. Singh on Monday, 15 June mounted a sharp political offensive against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, alleging that its flagship anti-drug pledges have crumbled in the face of worsening ground realities. Singh posted his criticism on social media platform X under the hashtag #BhagwantMannFailed, drawing attention to specific incidents across the state that he said expose a governance breakdown.

Kotkapura Families Selling Homes to Flee Drug Menace

Singh highlighted the situation in Kotkapura's Ram Basti locality, where he alleged that law-abiding residents have been forced to put up 'House for Sale' notices on their walls to escape the grip of narcotics in the neighbourhood. He described the trend not as economic migration but, in his words, 'a desperate flight for survival.' According to Singh, parents are reportedly willing to sell ancestral properties at below-market prices to move their children away from what he called the 'omnipresent grip' of Chitta — a colloquial term for synthetic opioids prevalent in Punjab.

Hoshiarpur Jail Incident Cited as Evidence of Systemic Failure

The BJP leader also pointed to an alleged incident at Hoshiarpur Central Jail, claiming that an inmate conducted a live video broadcast from inside the prison while openly displaying synthetic narcotics, including what he identified as ICE (methamphetamine), and making allegations against prison officials. Singh argued that the incident demonstrated that drug networks had penetrated even high-security state institutions. He alleged that local police attempted to categorise the Kotkapura situation as a 'private dispute' rather than a systemic problem — an approach he described as shielding the government from political accountability.

BJP Calls 'Yudh Nashiyan Virudh' Campaign a Media Gimmick

Singh was particularly critical of the AAP government's 'Yudh Nashiyan Virudh' (War Against Drugs) campaign, which the state had promoted as a cornerstone of its anti-narcotics strategy. He characterised it as 'a toothless media gimmick,' arguing that the persistence of open drug trafficking — from street corners in Faridkot to jails in Hoshiarpur — rendered the campaign ineffective in practice. Critics have previously noted that Punjab's drug problem predates the current administration, with successive governments having struggled to contain it, though the AAP had made eradication a central electoral promise.

Political Context and the AAP's Counter-Position

The AAP government came to power in Punjab in 2022 with an emphatic mandate, in part on the strength of its promise to eliminate the drug menace within months. The BJP's renewed offensive comes amid ongoing political rivalry between the two parties at both the state and national level. The AAP government had not issued an immediate formal response to Singh's specific allegations at the time of this report. This is not the first time the BJP has targeted the Mann administration on the drug issue — opposition pressure on this front has been a recurring feature of Punjab's political landscape since the AAP assumed office.

What Happens Next

Singh called on the Punjab government to move beyond 'empty rhetoric, comedy-hour deflection, or staged photo-ops' and deliver concrete administrative action. With state-level political pressure intensifying, the AAP government is likely to face renewed scrutiny over its anti-drug record in the coming weeks. Independent assessments of Punjab's narcotics situation and the effectiveness of the 'Yudh Nashiyan Virudh' campaign are expected to remain a flashpoint in the state's political discourse.