Punjab will be ‘chitta-mukt (drug-free)’ by December 31, 2029: Amit Shah

However, the ruling AAP hit back at the BJP and asked Shah to explain the seizure of 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine worth over Rs 3,000 crore in an operation involving the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard.

“Amit Shah came to Punjab today to give lectures on drugs. At the same time, 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine worth over Rs 3,000 crore has been seized in an operation in which Gujarat ATS provided the intelligence. We have been saying that Gujarat has emerged as a major gateway for drugs in the country. This seizure once again shows the scale of the problem. If Amit Shah is serious about Nasha Mukt Bharat, he should start his Nasha Mukt Yatra from Gujarat, not Punjab,” the AAP said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Shah, assuring the state’s mothers, said, “I have come to tell the mothers of Punjab that on December 31, 2029, there will be no one left to make Chitta available to your children. This is the BJP’s promise,” he said, adding that those selling chitta would be identified and put behind bars.

“We will not allow even one gram of drug to be sold in Punjab, nor will we allow it to go to other parts,” he said, asserting that the BJP could achieve this with the votes of the people of Punjab. “There are several issues in Punjab, but this election will be fought on making Punjab chitta-mukt,” Shah said, as he appealed to the people of Punjab to vote for BJP and give the BJP an opportunity to deliver on the promise.

Shah said that after his promise, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal would say something, but made it clear that the BJP could deliver on its Punjab promise as it had done elsewhere.

“I know what they ask. But I assure you, whatever we have said, we have done. “We have done it in Kashmir, we have done it against Naxalism and terrorism in the Northeast. Now it is the turn of Chitta-mukt Punjab,” Shah said.

He said people had seen the Congress, AAP and others (without naming BJP’s former ally SAD) and now should give the BJP a single chance to make Punjab chitta-mukt. Shah said that the Bhagwant Mann government had allowed the drug trade to grow and asked whether those associated with the Delhi liquor case could make Punjab chitta-mukt.

Shah said that between 2004 and 2014, when the Congress was at the Centre, 26 lakh kg of drugs worth around Rs 40,000 crore were seized, while between 2014 and 2026, under the BJP-led government, more than 1.20 crore kg of drugs worth approximately Rs 1.90 lakh crore had been seized.

Shah said that between 2004 and 2014, when the Congress was at the Centre, 26 lakh kg of drugs worth around Rs 40,000 crore were seized, while between 2014 and 2026, under the BJP-led government, more than 1.20 crore kg of drugs worth approximately Rs 1.90 lakh crore had been seized.

Shah alleged that the Mann government had not held a single anti-drug meeting in three years and claimed that the Punjab government had declined the Centre’s proposal to open an NCB office here. He also questioned the government over enforcement under the NDPS Act and alleged that those involved in the chitta trade had not been adequately pursued.

‘Punjab’s contribution cannot be associated with chitta’

Referring to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Teja Singh Samundri, Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh, Shah said Punjab had historically contributed to the country’s freedom, food security and national defence.

He paid tribute to the state’s farmers, saying that whenever the country needed food, Punjab’s farmers had filled the nation’s granaries. He also praised Punjab’s soldiers, saying that whenever the country’s security was at stake, the state’s soldiers had been among the first to sacrifice their lives.

Shah also slammed Mann over a range of unfulfilled promises, including 25 lakh jobs, opening 16 medical colleges, generating Rs 20,000 crore from sand mining, providing MSP for 26 crops and increasing mining revenue.

He questioned the government’s spending on advertisements, putting the annual figure at Rs 785 crore, and asked Mann what had happened to the promise of 25 lakh jobs.