Moga, February 16 AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday criticized the previous governments of the Congress, SAD, and BJP, accusing them of "pushing Punjab into drugs" and urging the public not to vote for these parties, warning that Punjab could once again be overwhelmed by drugs.
Kejriwal commended the Bhagwant Mann government for its strict actions against drug smugglers and highlighted the ongoing anti-drug initiative called 'Yudh Nashian Virudh.' The AAP government hosted a state-level event in Killi Chahlan village here to promote this campaign.
Besides Kejriwal, those present at the rally included Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, party leader Manish Sisodia, Punjab Cabinet ministers, MLAs, and other party officials. Mann arrived at the venue after being discharged from Fortis Hospital in Mohali, where he had been admitted due to exhaustion on Sunday.
During his address, Kejriwal acknowledged the contribution of village defence committees in the government's fight against drugs.
He emphasized the importance of informing each family in villages about the parties that contributed to the drug problem in Punjab. "When the Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress were in power, every family in Punjab was affected by drugs. They destroyed the youth, the families, and the future of Punjab," Kejriwal alleged.
He urged villagers to avoid voting for these parties, warning that doing so could lead to Punjab "drowning" in drugs once again.
Kejriwal highlighted that for the first time, a government is taking serious steps against drug smugglers, including imprisoning them, demolishing their homes, and seizing their properties.
The Punjab assembly elections are scheduled for 2027.
Kejriwal noted that the anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' began on March 1, 2025. He recalled that initially, people were hesitant to share information about drug smugglers out of fear for their families' safety.
"Last year, the Punjab police seized 2,000 kg of drugs, destroyed the properties of drug dealers, and arrested significant smugglers, which led to the people starting to believe that the AAP government is not scared of anything," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal announced the formation of village defence committees (VDCs) composed of retired teachers, ex-servicemen, youth, and sarpanchs (village heads). The VDCs will gather information on local drug activity while keeping the identities of informants confidential.
He encouraged the VDCs to take charge of making their villages drug-free, assuring them of the government's full support.
Additionally, Kejriwal mentioned that the Mann government is constructing sports stadiums in every village for the youth.
During his address, Chief Minister Mann also condemned previous administrations for exacerbating the drug problem in Punjab and confirmed that his government is actively pursuing an anti-drug campaign and taking strict action against drug smugglers.
Addressing the gathering, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav shared details about the anti-drug efforts initiated in March of last year, noting that over 34,000 FIRs had been filed and more than 45,000 individuals arrested.
He said that over 2,000 kg of heroin was confiscated in 2025, accounting for 66 per cent of the total heroin seizures across the country that year.
DGP Yadav also mentioned that 260 drones from across the border were shot down with the assistance of the Border Security Force (BSF) and highlighted that Punjab has a 90 per cent conviction rate in drug cases, the highest in India.
"The war against drugs can be won with the support of people," he asserted.