Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Wednesday, 16 September mounted a sharp counter-offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra', with Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema demanding the BJP answer three fundamental questions before staging a political march in the state over the drug menace.

Cheema's Three Challenges to BJP

Speaking to the media in Chandigarh, Minister Cheema posed direct questions: why is the BJP failing to stop drug consignments linked to Gujarat and Rajasthan? Why is it targeting Punjab when the 55-kilometre international border belt falls under the Border Security Force (BSF) — a Central government responsibility? And why does it want Punjab's water to flow to Haryana and Rajasthan?

Cheema argued that the BJP must first act against drug networks in its own-governed states, secure the border under its direct charge, and clarify its position on Punjab's water rights before attempting to lecture the state on the drug crisis.

AAP Points to the SAD-BJP Era as the Root of the Problem

Minister Cheema held the earlier Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government — which ruled Punjab between 2007 and 2017 — directly responsible for the large-scale expansion of the drug problem in the state. He alleged that the slang term 'chitta' gained currency and became widely associated with the drug crisis during that decade in power.

'Drugs were being openly distributed across Punjab. Government vehicles were also being misused for drug trafficking. When investigations into drug-related cases were underway, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer was transferred from Jalandhar,' Cheema said, raising questions about alleged institutional complicity during that period.

What the Bhagwant Mann Government Claims It Has Done

The minister highlighted the state government's flagship anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' and pointed to the deployment of anti-drone systems to counter smuggling across the Pakistan border. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has issued strict directions that no drug trafficker or peddler should go unpunished.

'We are taking action against drug traffickers while also ensuring treatment for people suffering from drug addiction,' Cheema said, describing a twin-track approach combining enforcement with rehabilitation. The Punjab Police, he added, has pursued traffickers even beyond state borders.

On the BSF Border Belt and Central Responsibility

A significant part of Cheema's argument centred on jurisdiction. He noted that a 55-kilometre belt along the Pakistan border falls directly under BSF control — meaning the Centre, not the state, holds primary responsibility for drug and drone-based smuggling in that zone. Critics of the AAP government have long cited the porous border as a key driver of Punjab's drug problem, but Cheema sought to redirect that accountability squarely to New Delhi.

Gulzar Singh Death Row and 'Politics Over Dead Bodies'

Responding to a media query about the death of Gulzar Singh, Minister Cheema declined to elaborate, saying the matter is currently before the High Court. He accused the Opposition of doing 'politics over dead bodies' and said the family's original statement is already in the public domain. The remark signals continued political friction over the case, even as its legal proceedings remain ongoing.

With assembly politics in Punjab intensifying, the BJP's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' and AAP's counter-offensive set the stage for a sustained confrontation on the drug issue heading into the next electoral cycle.