Chandigarh: Ending hours of suspense over his participation, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday attended the Aam Aadmi Party’s mega rally at Killi Chahal village and gave a renewed call to intensify the state’s war against drugs.
Striking an emotional chord with the gathering, Mann raised the slogan “Zindagi Zindabad, No Murdabad” and concluded his address with “Love you all.”
Launching the second phase of the anti-drug campaign, he accused previous governments of pushing Punjab into a “quagmire of drugs” for political and financial gains. “We are breaking the supply chain, rehabilitating addicts and taking strict action against traffickers. A people’s movement has now taken shape, and collective resolve is the only way to eradicate this menace,” he said.
Mann said the campaign, launched on March 1, 2025, has received overwhelming public support. “Initially, people were sceptical, but their faith has strengthened with time. That trust has given us the strength to act decisively,” he added.
Highlighting the role of Village Defence Committees (VDCs), he said over 1.5 lakh members have been enrolled, of whom more than 70,000 have been issued identity cards. A mobile application has been introduced for members to share information about drug traffickers confidentially. “We have received over 33,000 inputs, leading to nearly 17,000 arrests. The identity of informants remains protected,” Mann said, urging citizens to join the movement.
He also announced that playgrounds are being developed in every village to channelise youth energy towards sports. The chief minister added that 60,000 government jobs have been provided and assured day-time power supply for farmers.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said he had come to strengthen the state government’s resolve and blamed the BJP, Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) for allegedly patronising drug networks in the past.
Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said large-scale recoveries in Punjab have prevented thousands of youths from falling into addiction, calling VDC members the “live cameras” of the state government.
Punjab health minister Balbir Singh claimed that 2,046 kg of narcotics were seized in 2025, higher than recoveries in some BJP-ruled states, and said 25,000 youths had been rehabilitated under the campaign.
Director general of police Gaurav Yadav said more than 34,000 FIRs have been registered in drug-related cases, leading to around 45,000 arrests. Acting on over 1,200 actionable inputs from the VDC network, police arrested nearly 3,000 traffickers. He added that Punjab has achieved a conviction rate of over 90% under the NDPS Act, which he described as the highest in the country.
