AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday attacked the previous Congress, SAD and BJP governments. He blamed them for pushing Punjab into drugs and appealed to people not to vote for these parties. He warned that Punjab could drown in drugs again if they return to power.
Kejriwal praised the Bhagwant Mann government for taking strict action against drug smugglers. He spoke about the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’. The AAP government organised a state-level event in Killi Chahlan village here to promote this anti-drug campaign.
Apart from Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, party leader Manish Sisodia, Punjab Cabinet ministers, MLAs and other party leaders were present at the rally. Mann reached the venue after being discharged from Fortis Hospital in Mohali. He had been admitted to the hospital on Sunday due to exhaustion.
During his speech, Kejriwal appreciated the role of village defence committees in the fight against drugs. He said it was important to inform every family in villages about which parties were responsible for the drug problem in Punjab.
“You must go to every family in every village and tell them who pushed Punjab into drugs -- Akali Dal, BJP and Congress. When these parties were in power, every family in Punjab was affected by drugs. They destroyed the youth, the families, and the future of Punjab,” Kejriwal stated.
He appealed to people not to vote for these parties. He warned that if they return to power, Punjab could again sink into drugs. He asked supporters to go door to door and tell people not to vote for these parties even by mistake.
Kejriwal said that for the first time a government is taking strong action against drug smugglers. He said smugglers are being jailed, their properties demolished and their assets seized.
"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 polls are scheduled to be held in 2027.
Kejriwal said the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ started on March 1, 2025. He said that in the beginning people were afraid to give information about drug smugglers because they feared 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," he added.
Kejriwal said village defence committees (VDCs) are being formed. These include retired teachers, ex-servicemen, youth and sarpanchs. He said the committees will collect information about drug activities in villages while keeping the identity of informants confidential.
He said the Punjab government has also launched a mobile app for this purpose. VDC members can share information through the app and their identities will remain secret.
“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 while explaining the role of VDCs.
He urged the committees to take responsibility for making their villages drug-free and assured them of full support from the government. Kejriwal also said that the Mann government is building sports stadiums in every village to encourage the youth.
Addressing the gathering, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav shared details of the anti-drug campaign that began in March last year. He said more than 34,000 FIRs have been registered and over 45,000 people arrested.
He said more than 2,000 kg of heroin was seized in 2025. According to him, this accounted for 66 per cent of the total heroin seized across the country that year. DGP Yadav added that 260 drones coming from across the border were shot down with the help of the Border Security Force (BSF). He also said Punjab has a 90 per cent conviction rate in drug cases, which is the highest in the country. “The fight against drugs can be won only with the support of the people,” he said.
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