Chandigarh/Jalandhar, May 17 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched the second phase of the state’s anti-drug campaign, claiming that 99 per cent of drugs have already been eradicated from villages. The leaders vowed to eliminate the remaining threat to ensure a drug-free Punjab.
The remarks came during the inauguration of the “Nasha Mukti Yatra” at Lakhanpal village, part of the “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign. The second phase will involve grassroots-level meetings and awareness drives across all 13,000 villages in the state.
“We met a sarpanch at Langroya village who told us that 99 per cent of drugs have been removed. But the seed still exists. We’ll destroy that too,” said CM Mann while addressing villagers from Lakhanpal, Dhani Pind, Samrai, and Jandiala. “We will not allow drugs to take root again. They grow back like weeds if not uprooted completely.”
The chief minister accused previous governments of enabling the drug crisis. “Punjab was once known for its vibrant culture, but poor governance ruined it. Former ministers brokered deals between smugglers and protected culprits. Our government has started cleaning this mess seriously only over the past two months,” he said.
Administering an anti-drug oath to the gathered villagers, Mann emphasized community participation in the campaign. “The state alone cannot succeed without the support of the people,” he said.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal echoed Mann’s claims and praised the effort as unmatched across the country. “No other state has carried out a campaign of this scale. Even sarpanches say 99 per cent of drugs are gone. Now we must destroy the remaining roots,” he said.
Kejriwal added that the crackdown had already led to the arrest of 10,000 drug smugglers in Punjab — 8,500 of them considered major players in the trade. “We were warned about big smugglers. But we are not afraid. Their homes are being bulldozed. This is not a job for Punjab Police alone. Three crore people of Punjab must stand together,” he told the crowd.
The campaign will continue with anti-drug meetings across all villages, with state officials stressing that a sustained community-led movement is essential to ensure lasting change.
On Water Sharing with Haryana
Switching focus to water rights, CM Mann said Punjab has firmly told Haryana that its previous quota expired on March 31 and it must wait until May for the new cycle. “We cannot give our water to Haryana. This is not just a legal issue, it’s a survival issue. People have been killed over water. We have to protect what’s ours,” he said.
The CM also announced progress on developmental fronts, including the ongoing cleaning and revival of 15,000 village ponds, construction of sports stadiums, and funding for link roads.
