With 4,000-km yatra, Punjab BJP turns anti-drug campaign into pre-election political roadshow

The yatra follows a ‘Mavan Mangdian Jawab’ (Mothers Demand Answers) programme organised in Chandigarh on Thursday, at which over 50 families affected by drug addiction and drug-related deaths from across Punjab shared their experiences.

WITH A vehicle leading a convoy of over 100 vehicles, the Punjab BJP is set to launch its 13-day ‘Nasha Mukt Yatra’ on Friday, turning its anti-drug campaign into a statewide political roadshow ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Four yatras, beginning simultaneously from Pathankot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Talwandi Sabo, will collectively cover nearly 4,000 km and all 117 Assembly constituencies before converging in Jalandhar on September 30, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address a concluding rally.

The first yatra will be flagged off from Pathankot on September 18 by BJP national president Nitin Nabin. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will flag off the second from Fatehgarh Sahib on September 19, Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal the third from Fazilka on September 20, and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan the fourth from Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda, on September 21.

“… The main leaders will be in the rath and local district vehicles will follow…” said Punjab BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal.

The yatra follows a ‘Mavan Mangdian Jawab’ (Mothers Demand Answers) programme organised in Chandigarh on Thursday, at which over 50 families affected by drug addiction and drug-related deaths from across Punjab shared their experiences. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said  the party would turn the issue into a people’s movement. “This is a pain that cannot be endured or tolerated. This pain has reached every household in Punjab today,” he said.

The testimonies were pointed at the state’s dereliction of issue. A mother from Abohar whose son died after drug addiction said: “…We work hard to support our families. We do not want free schemes — we want freedom from chitta.” Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar alleged prisons had become safe havens for drug smugglers and accused CM Bhagwant Mann of inducting gangsters into the party — citing induction of Gurpreet Singh Sekhon, described by Jakhar as a gangster-turned-politician, into AAP.