BJP Launches Anti-Drug Yatra In Punjab

Wearing a saffron turban, Nabin flagged off the first of four statewide anti-drug yatras from Ekta Sthal in Pathankot with the slogan, “Bhajpa da naara, nasha mukauna saara.”

Before flagging off the yatra, he paid floral tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee and met families affected by drug abuse.

The second yatra will begin from Fatehgarh Sahib on September 19, the third from Fazilka on September 20 and the fourth from Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda on September 21. The 13-day Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra will cover all 117 Assembly constituencies in the state.

Addressing the gathering, Nabin said Punjabis wanted a “Rising Punjab”, not “Udta Punjab”.

“The time has come for a decisive fight against those who use the power of their office to promote corruption and worsen Punjab’s law-and-order situation,” he said.

Nabin said he had come from Patna with a message to take the campaign across the state and make Punjab drug-free.

“We are facing an enemy that silently enters our villages and homes and gradually grips entire families. This enemy is drugs, and we must end this scourge. I am not here merely to flag off a yatra but to launch a fight against drugs with a pledge to root out the menace,” he said.

Targeting the Bhagwant Mann government, the BJP chief said it repeatedly set deadlines to eradicate drugs but failed to produce results on the ground.

“The AAP spoke of Yudh Nashian Virudh, or a war against drugs. But I think it is not fighting drugs; it is patronising drug mafias,” he alleged.

Nabin said the BJP’s strategy included targeting traffickers, disrupting supply networks, confiscating drug money, rehabilitating people affected by addiction and mobilising public support.

“Drugs cannot be Punjab’s identity or strength. Its identity lies in its culture and rich traditions,” he said.

He also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s launch of the nationwide Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan on August 2.