Chandigarh, Sep 19 (PTI) Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney on Saturday hit out at the AAP government over drug abuse, alleging that ‘chitta’ is sold like toffees as the Bhagwant Mann government has failed to break the drug supply chain.
Questioning the AAP government’s repeated deadlines to eradicate drugs, Sahney said Punjab had been promised action within months, but the state continued to face a severe drug crisis.
The AAP government has not been able to break the drug supply chain, he claimed.
Sahney said several drug-affected family members met BJP president Nitin Nabin in Pathankot on Friday and they recounted their sufferings, saying that ‘chitta’ (synthetic drugs) is sold like toffees in their area.
The families were demanding that the supply of ‘chitta’ should be stopped, he said.
Punjab cannot afford to lose another generation to drugs, he further said.
Nabin on Friday flagged off the first of BJP’s four statewide ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras’ from Pathankot.
The 13-day ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ will traverse around 4,000 km across all the 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab. Upon the culmination of the four Yatras, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address a rally in Jalandhar on September 30.
Targeting the Mann government, Sahney claimed that there was joblessness in the state.
Nothing concrete has been done to create jobs in the state in agriculture, private and government sectors, he further claimed.
On the state debt, he accused the AAP government of destroying the state economy and said the debt is going to reach Rs 5 lakh crore.
Sahney claimed that government data show that admissions to government de-addiction centres increased from 9,577 in 2024 to 25,290 in 2025, while enforcement agencies have reported the seizure of over 8.7 crore tablets and capsules since 2022.
Crystal methamphetamine seizures, he said, rose from 17 kg during 2017-21 to 93 kg since 2022.
“Punjab needs results, not another deadline. The numbers tell us that this crisis requires sustained action on both supply and demand, alongside rehabilitation and reintegration,” said Sahney, who switched to the BJP from AAP.
On BJP’s anti-drug yatra, Sahney said it would take the campaign directly to communities across the state.
“We will go to every doorstep, every village and every mohalla, listen to families and stand with our youth. Punjab’s young people deserve skills, jobs, dignity and a future free from drugs,” he said.
He said 19 government drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres have been adopted to support infrastructure, counselling, skill development, gyms, yoga and meditation.
According to Sahney, during the last year, 1,000 young people have been placed in jobs and another 250 supported towards self-employment.
“A young person who has fallen into addiction needs a second chance-a skill, a job and dignity. Recovery must lead to reintegration, not relapse,” Sahney said.
Calling for stronger Centre-state coordination, Sahney proposed a joint anti-drug task force involving the BSF, Narcotics Control Bureau, central intelligence agencies and Punjab Police, backed by an integrated intelligence mechanism and clear accountability.
Sahney also condemned the alleged attack on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu’s cavalcade while he was travelling to join the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra on Friday.
Bittu had claimed that his cavalcade was attacked allegedly by AAP workers near Batala in Punjab when he was en route to attend his party’s anti-drug yatra in Pathankot.
Bittu claimed that over 100 AAP workers targeted the cavalcade and hurled stones and eggs at it. PTI CHS APL APL
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