Ludhiana: Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledged on Tuesday to eradicate Punjab's drug trade by December 31, 2029, during a day-long visit in which he met the families of three people linked to the fight against narcotics.
Shah met the families of Vikramjit Singh in Gurdaspur, Gulzar Singh in Sangrur and anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. Vikramjit and Jhota were allegedly murdered, while Gulzar died by suicide, with his family alleging harassment after he questioned the drug trade in his locality.
Speaking at a press conference in Ludhiana, Shah said, "The reality these families described was far more harrowing than anything I had read in official reports in Delhi."
He accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to keep its promise to eradicate drugs within three months of coming to power. "Five years have passed, yet the trade continues to grow day by day," he said, alleging that those who speak out against drugs are either driven to suicide or murdered.
Citing the seizure of drugs worth about Rs 20,000 crore at ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, he asked how narcotics reached Punjab.
Shah said the drug trade in the state is not just a law-and-order issue but one tied to the future of the young. With Punjab due to hold assembly elections next year, the issue has become politically significant, with the BJP and the AAP trading charges.
Shah called Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's decision to refer the Jhota murder case to the CBI a positive step and assured that the investigation would spare no one, regardless of influence.