Chandigarh, Jan 17: Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has inadvertently confirmed that a potential BJP-SAD alliance would drag Punjab back into the grip of synthetic drugs and organized crime, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab State Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said on Friday.
The AAP spokesperson noted that Bittu’s recent public admissions regarding the return of “chitta” and gangsterism serve as a confession of the failures seen during the SAD-BJP tenure from 2007 to 2017. Pannu argued that these statements establish a clear link between the Badal family’s previous governance and the destruction of the state’s social fabric.
“These are not ordinary political statements. These are confessions that clearly establish who destroyed Punjab between 2007 and 2017,” Pannu said during a press conference in Chandigarh.
The media in-charge questioned why senior Punjab BJP figures, including former Congress leaders Sunil Jakhar and Captain Amarinder Singh, continue to push for a partnership with the Akalis if such an alliance is known to be detrimental. He suggested that the BJP is prioritizing political survival over the well-being of the state.
“BJP Punjab today is led by former Congress President Sunil Jakhar, while former Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is a senior BJP leader. Both of them openly argue that BJP cannot survive in Punjab without aligning with Badal,” Pannu said.
The AAP leader recalled specific incidents of lawlessness from the Akali-BJP era, citing the Nabha jailbreak, the murder of a police officer in Amritsar, and the involvement of high-ranking Akali leaders in drug trafficking probes. He further criticized Bittu for his silence during the Congress rule between 2017 and 2022, alleging a “partnership government” existed between the three traditional parties to shield each other from accountability.
Pannu maintained that the current AAP administration has replaced hollow slogans with “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” a sustained campaign against narcotics. He mentioned that the Punjab Police are now operating without political interference to dismantle gangster networks that were previously nurtured by the establishment.
“Ravneet Bittu should stop asking rhetorical questions and instead seek answers from his own party leadership, Sunil Jakhar and Captain Amarinder Singh, who are the biggest advocates of an alliance with the Badals,” Pannu added.
