Analysis | Politics Of Drugs: BJP Looks To Turn Punjab AAP's Biggest Challenge Into Electoral Gains

The drug menace in Punjab is no longer just a political talking point; it is increasingly becoming a test of the Bhagwant Mann government's credibility, the effectiveness of its policing machinery and the ability of opposition parties to offer an alternative ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

Two recent incidents have brought the issue back into sharp focus, raising uncomfortable questions for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

On Saturday, when Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian visited Lallbai village in Muktsar district, a woman confronted him over the alleged open sale of drugs in neighbouring villages. In a video of the interaction, the woman told the minister that drugs were being sold openly, comparing their availability to peanuts. She alleged that the police were aware of the drug trade but were not taking action because they were compromised.

Khuddian asked her to provide the names of drug peddlers, saying he would speak to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). The woman began identifying alleged peddlers and their locations, but a woman police personnel subsequently moved her away from the minister.

The episode was politically significant because it exposed the gap between the government's anti-drug assurances and the grievances being voiced by residents on the ground. It also raised questions about whether ordinary citizens can report drug trafficking without fear and whether complaints against local networks are translating into effective police action.

A day earlier, a 27-year-old member of a village anti-drug committee, Amandeep Singh, was shot at by armed assailants at his residence in Kaleke village of Barnala district. He sustained a bullet injury to his thigh and was admitted to hospital, where his condition was reported to be stable.

According to preliminary reports, Amandeep had earlier informed the police about suspected drug peddlers, following which an FIR was registered against some individuals. Members of the village anti-drug committee alleged that the attack was carried out by associates of people against whom action had been taken. Police, however, have said that the motive is still being investigated and are examining whether the incident was linked to drugs or personal enmity.

The Barnala firing assumes greater significance as it comes less than a month after anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in Mansa on October 13. Jhota had confronted a medical store owner over the alleged sale of addictive substances. His killing triggered protests, demands for accountability and a prolonged agitation by his family.

The two incidents involving anti-drug activists have brought another dimension to Punjab's drug crisis: the safety of people who take on suspected local drug networks.

For the AAP government, the political question is no longer limited to how many smugglers have been arrested or how much heroin has been seized. It is increasingly about whether the administration can protect those who assist the police in identifying drug sellers and ensure that complaints against alleged peddlers are acted upon.

For the BJP, these incidents offer an opportunity to sharpen its attack on the Mann government and project drugs as an issue of governance, law and order and public safety. But can the party convert public anger into electoral gains?

BJP's Political Opportunity And The Challenge Of Credibility

The BJP is attempting to turn the drug menace into one of its principal political weapons against the AAP government. With Punjab heading towards the 2027 assembly elections, the party is increasingly focusing on drugs, law and order, corruption, unemployment and farmers' concerns to expand its political footprint beyond its traditional urban support base.

Home Minister Amit Shah's recent visit to Punjab, during which he met the family of slain anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, brought the political confrontation into sharper focus.

Shah defended the seizure of narcotics worth approximately Rs 20,000 crore at ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, arguing that authorities should not be criticised for intercepting illegal consignments. He also questioned how drugs reach neighbourhoods in Punjab in small packets, suggesting that such a distribution network could not operate without local support and political patronage.

Shah reiterated his commitment to eliminating the drug trade in Punjab by December 31, 2029, challenging the state's political leadership to focus on eradicating the menace rather than trading allegations.

The BJP's argument is that drug seizures demonstrate enforcement action and that the responsibility for drugs reaching consumers must also be examined at the level of local distribution networks.

AAP, however, has repeatedly questioned how large consignments of narcotics enter the country through ports in BJP-ruled states. The party argues that the Centre cannot hold Punjab solely responsible while avoiding questions about the wider international and domestic supply chain.

This creates a political balancing act for the BJP. It wants to make drugs a decisive electoral issue against AAP, but the ruling party can counter by asking what the Centre and its agencies are doing to prevent narcotics from entering the country in the first place.

The BJP will therefore have to go beyond highlighting seizures and political allegations. It needs to explain how it would dismantle cross-border supply networks, strengthen intelligence gathering, prevent local distribution and expand rehabilitation facilities.

BJP's Growing Footprint: Can It Translate Into Votes?

The BJP is gradually attempting to establish itself as an independent political force in Punjab after decades of contesting elections primarily as an alliance partner of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Its electoral performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections provided some encouragement. The party's vote share increased from 9.63 per cent in 2019 to 18.56 per cent in 2024, when it contested all 13 parliamentary constituencies independently. This was a considerable improvement over the 6.6 per cent it secured in the 2022 assembly elections.

However, the BJP failed to win even one parliamentary seat in 2024, demonstrating that an increase in vote share does not automatically translate into electoral victories.

As part of its 2027 strategy, the party is intensifying its organisational activities across all 117 assembly constituencies, particularly in rural Punjab. Its outreach is centred on issues that directly affect voters, including drug abuse, unemployment, law and order, corruption and farmers' concerns.

The Nasha Mukt Punjab campaign has become an important component of this strategy. Through public meetings, anti-drug initiatives, village-level outreach and mobilisation, the BJP is attempting to establish a connection with communities affected by drug abuse.

The party is also inducting leaders from other political formations to strengthen its organisational structure.

But its biggest challenge remains establishing credibility among rural voters and convincing Punjabis that it can offer an independent political alternative rather than simply capitalising on dissatisfaction with AAP.

"BJP Must Present A Blueprint"

Political analyst professor Manjit Singh believes the BJP faces a credibility challenge despite the growing political importance of the drug issue. He argues that the party has historically lacked an independent political base in Punjab because it contested elections for years in alliance with the SAD.

According to him, the BJP must first establish trust among Punjabis and demonstrate that it has a concrete strategy to tackle the drug crisis.

"There is a need to present a blueprint," Singh said, stressing that the party should move beyond assurances and announce specific measures, including rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts and employment opportunities for young people.

This is an important distinction in Punjab's political landscape. The drug problem is not simply about the availability of heroin or the number of arrests made under the NDPS Act. It is also linked to unemployment, social vulnerability, addiction, organised crime and the absence of adequate rehabilitation and reintegration facilities.

If the BJP wants to turn the issue into an electoral advantage, it will have to explain how it proposes to address all these interconnected problems.

Merely attacking AAP over the continued availability of chitta may not be enough.

AAP's Defence: Enforcement Figures Versus Ground Reality

The AAP government is attempting to defend its record through its flagship 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, which combines police action against alleged smugglers with efforts to dismantle drug networks and encourage community participation.

The government has repeatedly cited arrests, seizures and action against alleged traffickers to demonstrate its commitment to fighting drugs.

It has also promoted village-level and ward-level anti-drug committees to encourage citizens to report drug-related activities and assist the administration.

However, the recent incidents in Muktsar and Barnala have exposed the difficulties of translating such community participation into effective action.

There is an inherent contradiction if the government encourages villagers to identify drug peddlers but cannot assure them of protection when they face threats or attacks.

The question arising from the Barnala shooting is particularly important: if a person informs the police about suspected drug activity, what protection does the administration provide when those allegedly affected by the complaint retaliate?

Similarly, the interaction between Khuddian and the woman in Lallbai raises questions about the responsiveness of the local police machinery. Asking citizens to provide names is only the first step. The real test is whether the allegations are investigated, the accused are apprehended and the supply networks are dismantled.

AAP has also sought to shift the debate towards the Centre's responsibility for cross-border smuggling, particularly the use of drones to transport narcotics from across the international border.

Its argument is that the drug crisis cannot be addressed by holding Punjab's local administration solely responsible while overlooking the wider supply chain.

Nevertheless, the government will have to answer questions about the continued availability of drugs at the village level, especially when residents publicly allege that local police personnel are aware of the problem.

The political challenge for AAP is that its anti-drug campaign was built around a strong promise of change. Consequently, every fresh incident involving alleged drug trafficking, addiction or attacks on anti-drug activists becomes a test of that promise.

Congress Sees An Opportunity To Corner AAP

The Congress is also attempting to make the drug menace a major political issue against the Bhagwant Mann government.

For the Congress, the killing of Jhota and the subsequent firing incident in Barnala strengthen its argument that the government has failed to establish effective law and order and protect people challenging suspected drug networks.

The party has questioned the effectiveness of the government's anti-drug campaign, arguing that enforcement claims must be measured against the ground situation.

The transfer of Jhota's murder investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following his family's demand, has added another dimension to the political controversy.

The case remained particularly sensitive because of the prolonged protest by Jhota's family, which demanded accountability from the state administration. His father's hunger strike and the family's insistence on action against those responsible kept the issue alive beyond the initial outrage over the killing.

For Congress, the issue provides an opportunity to question not only the government's performance but also its ability to ensure accountability within the police and administrative machinery.

The party will, however, need to establish a sustained political campaign around drugs rather than rely solely on individual incidents and allegations.

SAD And Waris Punjab De: A Battle For The Anti-Drug Narrative

The Shiromani Akali Dal is also attempting to reclaim the anti-drug narrative, an issue that has historically influenced Punjab's electoral politics.

The party has launched its women-focused 'Maawan-Dheeyan Insaaf' initiative, with Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal leading outreach among women and families affected by drugs.

The initiative seeks to mobilise women against drug trafficking, identify alleged suppliers and their political patrons, and encourage families to raise their voices against the menace.

The recent confrontation between a woman and Minister Khuddian in Lallbai also underlines the political significance of women's participation in the debate. Women are increasingly emerging as vocal stakeholders in the fight against drugs, particularly because addiction affects entire families and communities.

For SAD, however, there is a significant political hurdle.

The party faces questions about the drug menace during its decade-long alliance government with the BJP from 2007 to 2017. Its opponents continue to invoke that period whenever the Akalis position themselves as the principal force against drugs.

The party must therefore convince voters that it has learnt from its past and can offer a more effective response.

Waris Punjab De, led politically by jailed MP Amritpal Singh, has added another dimension to the political contest.

The organisation has promised to bring out a white paper covering the period from 1997 to 2027, examining drug-related deaths, supply chains and alleged political and police connections.

It has also promised a campaign to eradicate drugs if voted to power.

The emergence of Waris Punjab De as a political force is particularly significant for the SAD, which has traditionally drawn support from sections of Punjab's Sikh electorate.

Both are attempting to position themselves as alternatives on an issue that carries deep social, religious and political significance in Punjab.

For Waris Punjab De, the challenge will be to translate its anti-drug rhetoric and public support into an organisational structure and a credible governance agenda.

The Bigger Question: Who Can Protect Punjab's Youth?

The politics of drugs in Punjab is entering a crucial phase ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

The BJP wants to make the issue a major indictment of the AAP government while expanding its independent political base. Congress is attempting to portray the drug menace as evidence of governance failure. SAD is seeking to regain lost political ground through community and women-led mobilisation, while Waris Punjab De is attempting to build its identity around a strong anti-drug narrative.

For AAP, the biggest challenge is defending its record against the expectations created by its own promise to eliminate drugs.

But the latest developments also suggest that the debate is moving beyond conventional political allegations.

A woman publicly questioning a cabinet minister about the availability of drugs, a village anti-drug committee member being shot at in Barnala and the killing of Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa have brought the focus back to the people confronting the menace on the ground.

These incidents raise fundamental questions about the safety of whistleblowers, the functioning of local police networks and the possible influence of drug traffickers in villages.

There is also a larger socio-economic dimension. Punjab's drug crisis cannot be resolved through arrests and seizures alone. Rehabilitation, sustained treatment, employment opportunities, prevention programmes and the reintegration of recovering addicts into society are equally important.

For the BJP, this is an opportunity to present an alternative policy framework. For AAP, it is a test of whether its campaign can deliver measurable results. For Congress and SAD, it is an opportunity to regain political relevance.

Ultimately, the 2027 election battle over drugs may not be decided by who makes the loudest allegations against whom. It will be decided by who can convince Punjab's families that their children are safe, drug networks are being dismantled, those who expose traffickers will be protected and the next generation has a future beyond addiction and migration.

The biggest electoral question is therefore not simply who can promise a drug-free Punjab, but who can demonstrate that the state is genuinely moving towards one.

BJP's Political Message On Diwali, Ahead of 2027 Polls

Even as Punjab celebrated Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas, the BJP used the occasion to send a strong political message by keeping the state's drug menace in the spotlight. At the party office, BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and leaders lit a symbolic diya in memory of families whose homes have been devastated by drug addiction, turning the festival of lights into an occasion to highlight one of Punjab's most pressing social and political challenges.

The initiative was dedicated to mothers who lost their sons to drugs and sisters who lost their brothers to the menace. Through the symbolic gesture, the BJP sought to remind people of the human cost of drug addiction and underline its resolve to make the issue a central part of its political campaign in Punjab.

With the drug problem emerging as a major political flashpoint, the BJP appears determined to use the issue to question the AAP government's performance and position itself as a party willing to take on the challenge.

The message behind the diya was clear: while millions of households celebrate the festival with lights and festivities, several families in Punjab continue to live with the pain of losing their loved ones to drugs.

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author