CM Dhami Targets AAP at Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra Rally
Synopsis
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed a Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra rally in Hoshiarpur and Mukerianaan, accusing the AAP government of betraying its 2022 pledge to eliminate Punjab's drug crisis and blaming the ruling party for the state's worsening substance abuse problem.
Key Takeaways
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed a public rally in Hoshiarpur rural and Mukerianaan (Dasuha) on September 26, 2026 .
The rally was held under the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra , a BJP-led campaign targeting drug governance failures in Punjab.
Dhami accused the Aam Aadmi Party of making anti-drug promises before the 2022 Punjab elections and abandoning them after winning power.
BJP argues the growing drug trade and rising youth addiction are direct evidence of AAP's governance failure in Punjab.
The Central government's Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (launched 2020 ) provides a national policy backdrop to the state-specific political campaign.
Further stops of the yatra are expected, with AAP likely to face pressure to release counter-data on drug seizures and enforcement.
In the heart of Hoshiarpur's rural belt and Mukerianaan (Dasuha), Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took the stage on Saturday, September 26 to deliver a sharp indictment of Punjab's ruling government — accusing it of abandoning its most prominent pre-election promise: a drug-free Punjab.
Dhami addressed a public rally under the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, a BJP-organised campaign that has been travelling through Punjab's districts with a single, pointed message — that the Aam Aadmi Party made sweeping anti-drug pledges to win power in 2022, and has since walked away from every one of them.
The Promise, and the Betrayal BJP Is Selling
AAP's 2022 Punjab assembly election manifesto explicitly promised a time-bound 'Mission Nasha Mukt Punjab,' backed by targeted action against drug trafficking networks. It was a centrepiece of the party's pitch to families devastated by heroin and synthetic drug dependency — a crisis that had haunted Punjab through successive governments.
Dhami's argument is direct: the promise is now exhibit A in what he calls a pattern of betrayal. 'सत्ता मिलते ही उन वादों से मुकर गई' ('the moment power was achieved, those promises were abandoned'), he told the gathering. The growing drug trade and a generation of youth falling into its grip, he said, are proof of this government's failure.
Punjab's Drug Crisis — a Border State's Stubborn Wound
Punjab's proximity to international trafficking corridors has made substance abuse a documented, multi-decade emergency. Heroin and pharmaceutical opioids have cut through families across districts, with the problem remaining an electoral flashpoint under every party that has governed the state.
The Central government's Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, attempted a national framework for the crisis. BJP's Punjab yatra now layers a state-specific political narrative on top of that broader effort — framing the AAP government as having squandered both a mandate and a moment.
Why a BJP CM from Uttarakhand Is Campaigning in Punjab
Dhami's presence at a Punjab rally is no accident. National parties routinely deploy senior leaders into opposition-ruled states to build governance narratives ahead of future electoral cycles. The Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra fits this playbook precisely — targeted districts, crowd-facing messaging, and a sustained drumbeat of accountability framing.
With further stops of the yatra still ahead, the BJP is betting that the drug issue carries enough emotional weight — in enough homes — to survive the long stretch between now and the next Punjab assembly election. Whether AAP responds with counter-data on seizures or arrests will define how this particular political argument lands.
The youth of Punjab are the stated concern of every platform in this debate. The real question is which party's story they choose to believe.
Point of View
The party signals national organisational investment in Punjab ahead of the next assembly cycle. The move also forces AAP into a reactive posture, since the drug promise was explicitly central to its 2022 mandate. If the yatra sustains momentum across multiple districts, it has the potential to embed a durable anti-incumbency narrative — but only if BJP can demonstrate its own credible alternative rather than pure critique.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra?
The Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra is a BJP-organised campaign travelling through Punjab districts to highlight what the party calls the AAP government's failure to address the state's drug crisis, in contrast to pre-election promises made in 2022.
Why is Uttarakhand CM Dhami campaigning in Punjab?
Pushkar Singh Dhami is a senior BJP leader who is campaigning in Punjab as part of the party's national strategy to build a governance accountability narrative against the AAP government in an opposition-ruled state.
What did AAP promise about drugs in the 2022 Punjab elections?
AAP's 2022 Punjab election manifesto included a time-bound 'Mission Nasha Mukt Punjab,' pledging strict action against drug trafficking networks — a promise BJP now says has been abandoned.
How bad is Punjab's drug problem?
Punjab has faced a documented, multi-decade substance abuse crisis involving heroin and synthetic drugs, driven partly by its proximity to international trafficking corridors, and the issue has been an electoral flashpoint under every government that has ruled the state.
What is the Central government's Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan?
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is a nationwide anti-drug initiative launched in 2020 by India's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to address substance abuse across the country.
