{"id":1298,"date":"2025-04-05T19:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T19:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=1298"},"modified":"2025-04-05T19:36:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T19:36:28","slug":"punjabs-anti-drug-crackdown-sparks-political-war-aap-claims-victory-opposition-calls-it-a-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=1298","title":{"rendered":"Punjab\u2019s Anti-Drug Crackdown Sparks Political War: AAP Claims Victory, Opposition Calls It a \u2018Fraud\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chandigarh, April 5, 2025<\/strong> \u2014 The Punjab government\u2019s ongoing anti-drug campaign, which has led to an unprecedented average of 64 arrests per day in 2025<\/strong>, has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders who have dubbed it a \u201cpolitical gimmick\u201d<\/strong> rather than a genuine effort to dismantle the state\u2019s deeply entrenched drug networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)<\/strong> hails the figures as proof of a successful crackdown, opposition voices from the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)<\/strong> accuse the ruling party of inflating numbers<\/strong> and shielding drug lords<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress Slams Campaign as \u201cBlatant Fraud\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa<\/strong> launched a scathing attack, calling the campaign a \u201cblatant fraud\u201d<\/strong> and accusing AAP of turning the Punjab Police into a \u201cprivate militia\u201d<\/strong>. He alleged that police officers \u2014 from constables to high-ranking officials \u2014 are involved in drug smuggling<\/strong> operations under the government\u2019s nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is not a crackdown; it\u2019s a cover-up,\u201d Bajwa stated. \u201cCivilians are being beaten, farmers\u2019 vehicles stolen, while the real masterminds continue business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bajwa further warned of a nexus of corruption<\/strong> within the police force and said the campaign was targeting minor addicts and consumers<\/strong>, not the kingpins driving the trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AAP Hits Back, Blames Past Governments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

AAP spokesperson and MP Malwinder Kang<\/strong> defended the campaign, accusing opposition parties of facilitating the drug epidemic<\/strong> during their time in power. He highlighted the government\u2019s focus on accountability within the police force<\/strong>, contrasting it with previous regimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe Opposition is panicking because their decades-old nexus is being torn apart,\u201d Kang said. \u201cWe are not just arresting addicts, but also acting against complicit police officials. Unlike previous governments, we didn\u2019t promote drug-tainted officers like Raj Jit Singh<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kang emphasized that arrests are part of a broader plan<\/strong> to disrupt drug supply chains and ensure long-term rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAD Questions the Impact, Calls It Optics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema<\/strong> dismissed AAP\u2019s figures as \u201cinflated optics\u201d<\/strong>, questioning the actual impact of the campaign. He claimed that genuine enforcement would result in withdrawal cases flooding hospitals<\/strong>, which, according to him, is not happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe focus is clearly on small-time users, not big suppliers. This is more PR than real policing,\u201d Cheema said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Public Opinion Divided Amid Political Tug-of-War<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The campaign has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While many laud the government\u2019s aggressive stance, others echo opposition concerns that the campaign lacks depth and fails to address systemic issues<\/strong> like corruption within enforcement agencies<\/strong> and lack of rehabilitation facilities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Punjab drug crackdown 2025, AAP vs Congress on drug arrests, Partap Bajwa drug scam allegations, Punjab Police corruption drug nexus, Aam Aadmi Party anti-drug campaign, Shiromani Akali Dal drug policy criticism, Malwinder Kang drug crackdown, Punjab drug arrests statistics, Raj Jit Singh controversy, political war over Punjab drug crisis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chandigarh, April 5, 2025 \u2014 The Punjab government\u2019s ongoing anti-drug campaign, which has led to an unprecedented average of 64 arrests per day in 2025, has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders who have dubbed it a \u201cpolitical gimmick\u201d rather than a genuine effort to dismantle the state\u2019s deeply entrenched drug networks. While the Aam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,31,24,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chandigarh","8":"category-headlines","9":"category-politics","10":"category-punjab-2"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t