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 drug addiction" 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.
"You must go to every family in every village and tell them who pushed Punjab into drugs – the Akali Dal, the BJP, and the Congress. When these parties were in power, every family in Punjab was affected by drugs. They destroyed the youth, families, and the future of Punjab," Kejriwal alleged.
He urged people to avoid voting for these parties, warning that doing so could lead to Punjab "drowning" in drugs once again. "You must go to every household and tell them not to vote for these parties, even by mistake, otherwise Punjab will again sink into drugs," he said.
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.
"By God's grace, such a government has come. Under no circumstances should you vote for the other parties. This is the responsibility of the Village Defence Committees. We must go door-to-door and tell people. Very soon, our Punjab will become 'Rangla' Punjab and 'Nasha Mukt' Punjab," he said.
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 said village defence committees (VDCs) composed of retired teachers, ex-servicemen, youth, and sarpanchs (village heads) are being formed. The VDCs will gather information on local drug activity while keeping the identities of informants confidential.
The Punjab government has created a mobile app for this purpose. A VDC member can submit information through this app, and his identity will be kept confidential, he said.
"One of the tasks is to provide information about those selling drugs so that the police can arrest them and send them to jail. The second is to ensure that those in the village, who are victims of drug addiction, are taken to the nearest centre for treatment," Kejriwal said regarding the VDCs.
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.
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.
