AAP's drug war promises delayed six times, Delhi CM alleges ahead of BJP yatra

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, accusing it of serial failures and broken promises on drug eradication as the Bharatiya Janata Party prepared to launch its second 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra'.

Six deadline extensions expose government failure

Speaking at a public gathering at Fatehgarh Sahib, Ms. Gupta said the AAP government had repeatedly shifted its timeline for eliminating the drug menace since assuming power in the State in 2022. "When the AAP came to power in Punjab, they promised to eliminate drugs from the State within three months," she told the audience.

The original three-month deadline was first extended by another three months, then by four months, and has now been pushed back six times in total, the Delhi CM said. "A government that keeps giving new deadlines cannot be expected to eradicate drugs," Ms. Gupta said.

BJP yatra as campaign to oust AAP

The Delhi Chief Minister was addressing the gathering ahead of the BJP's Punjab unit flagging off the second 'Nasha Mukt (drug free) Punjab Yatra'. She described the 13-day mobilisation as more than a political event. "The 13-day 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' will become a campaign to free Punjab from this government," Ms. Gupta said.

She said she had travelled from Delhi specifically to "expose" AAP supremo and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whom she termed the "super Chief Minister of Punjab".

Accusations of financial mismanagement and exploitation

Ms. Gupta alleged that AAP leaders were diverting Punjabis' hard-earned money to fund the party's political activities in other States. "Punjabis were first misled in the name of the so-called 'Delhi model', and Punjab was subsequently pushed deeper into debt. Who will repay the State's ₹5 lakh crore debt?" she said.

She predicted that the people of Punjab would "drive Kejriwal out this time".

After suffering political setbacks in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal had shifted his political focus to Punjab, the Delhi CM said, alleging the AAP leadership was misusing public resources. "Those who were responsible for the misgovernance of Delhi are now sitting in Punjab and have been exploiting the State for the last five years," she said.

Call for collective action against drugs and crime

The Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra represented more than a political programme, Ms. Gupta said, positioning it as a summons for collective action. "This yatra is not merely a journey. It is the beginning of a movement to free Punjab from drugs, crime and fear," the BJP leader said.

She claimed gang violence, targeted killings and a growing sense of insecurity were spreading across Punjab. "The countdown to the end of the present government will begin on the 13th day of the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra," the Delhi Chief Minister declared.

Assembly elections are due in Punjab in early 2027.

Source: The Hindu