Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is set to visit Punjab on Monday, 21 September 2026, for a one-day tour centred on the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' (Drug-Free Punjab Campaign), as the four-day state-wide outreach programme enters its concluding leg in Bathinda.

Chouhan's Schedule in Punjab

Chouhan will begin his visit by paying obeisance at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo, one of the five sacred Takhts of Sikhism. At 10:00 am, he is scheduled to inaugurate and participate in the yatra at Dana Mandi, located at Ravidasia Chowk in Talwandi Sabo.

Following the inauguration, the Union minister will address a public meeting in Maisarkhana and hold a direct dialogue with farmers and women members of self-help groups in Bathinda — constituencies central to Punjab's agrarian and rural fabric.

How the Four-Day Yatra Unfolded

The BJP launched the 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' on 18 September, with the campaign spanning different districts across the state. BJP national President Nitin Nabin flagged off the first march from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Pathankot district on that day.

The second leg, on 19 September, was flagged off from Fatehgarh Sahib by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The third leg, on 20 September, was launched from the Sadiki border in Fazilka, near the Asafwala 1971 War Memorial, by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Monday's leg in Bathinda marks the campaign's finale, completing a traverse from Pathankot in the north to Bathinda in the south.

The Drug Abuse Issue in Punjab

Drug abuse has remained one of Punjab's most persistent social crises and a defining subject of political contest in the state. The issue gained renewed electoral salience in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, with multiple parties — including the Aam Aadmi Party, which won power — making a drug-free Punjab a centrepiece of their campaign. The ruling AAP government's handling of the drug menace has since drawn both praise and criticism from opposition parties.

Through the yatra, the BJP is seeking to position itself as a credible alternative voice on the issue, raising awareness about the adverse impact of narcotics and articulating what it describes as its vision for a drug-free state. Notably, the campaign is unfolding ahead of the next Punjab assembly election cycle, lending it an unmistakable political dimension alongside its stated social purpose.

Political Stakes and Organisational Goals

The participation of senior BJP leaders — including Chouhan, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh with a strong grassroots connect — is expected to lend political weight to the campaign. The yatra is also seen as an effort to reinvigorate the BJP's organisational network in Punjab, a state where the party has historically struggled to break through, particularly in rural and semi-urban constituencies.

As the campaign concludes in Bathinda on Monday, the BJP's ability to translate this public outreach into lasting organisational ground will be closely watched by political observers in the state.