Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal on Sunday, 20 September 2026, described the Bharatiya Janata Party's Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra as a movement for social reform, firmly pushing back against criticism that the campaign was politically motivated. Speaking at a public gathering in Fazilka, Punjab, Meghwal flagged off the third leg of the yatra from the town's Old Vegetable Market.

What Meghwal Said

The Union Minister said the campaign's core objective was to protect generations of Punjabis from the scourge of drugs and steer the state toward becoming a developed economy. He acknowledged that some observers were viewing the yatra through a political lens, but rejected that framing categorically.

'This is not a political campaign — it is an initiative for social reform,' Meghwal said, drawing a parallel with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's broader social drives such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.

In an unusual rhetorical flourish, the minister invoked the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, citing the Bani of Guru Amar Das to urge people to avoid intoxicants that impair the human mind and sense of discretion. He also referenced the importance of Naam Simran in the Bani of Guru Nanak Dev, arguing that a clear mind was a prerequisite for spiritual practice. Meghwal went further and sang a Shabad of Guru Nanak Dev before the gathering, drawing an appreciative response. He also linked the anti-drug message to teachings of Bhagat Kabir Das and Guru Ravidas.

BJP Leaders Sharpen Attack on AAP Government

Also present at the event were BJP national General Secretary and Punjab in-charge Satish Poonia, state president Kewal Singh Dhillon, former state president Sunil Jakhar, and former minister Surjit Kumar Jiani. Before addressing the gathering, Meghwal visited the Asafwala Shaheedi Memorial, where he paid floral tributes to soldiers who died for the nation.

Punjab BJP president Dhillon alleged that the yatra had rattled those responsible for the drug crisis in the state. 'Those who had spread the scourge of drugs have been rattled by the BJP's Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra. The yatra has put the Chief Minister on the back foot,' Dhillon said. He referred to recent incidents involving Mohanjeet Sheron and Gulzar Singh in Sangrur, alleging that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was suppressing voices speaking out against drugs. Dhillon also claimed that residents in Faridkot were putting up 'house for sale' boards out of frustration over the drug menace.

Drawing comparisons with BJP-governed states, Dhillon argued that if the party could eliminate gangsterism in Uttar Pradesh, Naxalism in Jharkhand, and violence in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, it had the credentials to address Punjab's drug problem as well.

Jakhar Targets Kejriwal on Arrests

Former state BJP president Jakhar mounted a sharp attack on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, contending that 79,000 arrests under the AAP government were not proof of decisive action but evidence of how deeply the younger generation had been pushed into the drug crisis. He alleged that people raising their voices against drugs were now being killed by drug smugglers or driven to suicide.

Context and Political Background

The Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra has become one of the BJP's primary vehicles for political mobilisation in a state it lost heavily in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. Punjab has long grappled with a drug epidemic — according to reports, the state accounts for a disproportionately high share of heroin seizures nationally. The BJP's decision to lead the campaign with religious and spiritual messaging, rather than purely administrative arguments, reflects a calculated appeal to Punjab's dominant Sikh sensibility. Critics argue the yatra is as much about rebuilding the BJP's grassroots base ahead of the next state election as it is about social welfare.

With the third leg now flagged off from Fazilka, the BJP appears intent on sustaining the campaign's momentum through border districts where drug trafficking is reported to be acutest.