Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha on Friday, 18 September 2026, joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Nitin Nabin in Pathankot to flag off the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra — a campaign aimed at drawing attention to the deepening drug crisis in Punjab and its devastating toll on families across the state.

What the Yatra Is About

The Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, flagged off from Pathankot, is designed to mobilise public opinion against the unchecked spread of narcotics in the state. The campaign is expected to travel through various districts of Punjab in the coming days, with interactions planned with affected families and local communities. The choice of Pathankot — a border district long identified as a key entry point for drug trafficking — is significant.

Chadha's Remarks and Cross-Party Participation

Chadha shared details of the event on his X account, describing meetings with families living through the crisis. 'Drugs don't just destroy lives. They destroy families,' he wrote, calling the accounts he heard a painful reminder of the human cost of the problem.

The AAP MP alleged that his own party's government in Punjab had promised to eradicate the drug menace but had failed to deliver over the past four and a half years. He claimed that the supply of narcotics — particularly 'chitta', a street name for heroin-based substances — had boomed and continues to flow freely. According to Chadha, overdose deaths have risen, consumption has grown, and narcotics are now reportedly available for home delivery on a large scale.

Political Significance of the Alliance

Chadha's participation alongside BJP National President Nitin Nabin is notable given the adversarial relationship between the AAP and BJP at the national level. His public criticism of the AAP-led Punjab government at a BJP-organised event marks a sharp departure and has drawn considerable political attention. Critics argue the move signals a widening rift within AAP over governance performance in Punjab, while others see it as opportunistic cross-party positioning ahead of future electoral cycles.

The AAP government, for its part, has not yet responded publicly to Chadha's allegations made at the Pathankot event.

The Ground Reality in Punjab

Punjab's drug crisis has been a persistent policy flashpoint for successive state governments. The state has long grappled with high rates of opioid dependency, and 'chitta' — a synthetic opioid blend — has emerged as a particularly lethal variant in recent years. Community groups and families of victims have repeatedly called for more aggressive enforcement and rehabilitation infrastructure, arguing that political promises have consistently outrun delivery.

With the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra now under way, the coming weeks will test whether the campaign translates political momentum into measurable pressure on state authorities — or remains primarily an electoral signal.