When the Aam Aadmi Party swept to power in Punjab in 2022, one promise dominated its campaign: the complete elimination of the drug menace within months. Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann repeatedly assured the people that “chitta” would be finished in three to six months. Four years later, that promise stands exposed as one of the biggest political frauds in recent Punjab history.
The Promise That Never Materialised
AAP’s entire election pitch in 2022 rested on three pillars — free electricity, corruption-free governance, and a drug-free Punjab. Of these, the anti-drug promise was the most emotional. Families who had lost sons and daughters to addiction voted in large numbers, believing change had finally arrived.
Instead of results, the state received multiple missed deadlines. The government announced fresh timelines again and again, launched campaigns with grand names like “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” and released impressive-looking figures of arrests and seizures. Yet on the ground, drugs remained freely available. Synthetic drugs, pharmaceutical intoxicants sold through chemist shops, and heroin continued to destroy an entire generation.
Youth Still Drowning
Despite the government’s claims of success, Punjab’s youth continue to sink deeper into addiction. In many areas, people openly say that “chitta” reaches homes faster than food delivery. Official numbers of overdose deaths remain contested, but families across the state continue to bury their children. The crisis has not been contained; it has only been managed through press conferences and photo-ops.
The real test of any anti-drug policy is not how many FIRs are registered, but whether a young person finds it harder to buy drugs today than four years ago. By that measure, AAP has failed.
When Raising Your Voice Costs Your Life
The most disturbing development has been the targeting of those who dared to speak against the drug trade.
On 13 October 2026, anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota was shot dead in broad daylight inside a chemist shop in Mansa. He was confronting the shop owner over the alleged illegal sale of addictive medicines. The entire incident was being livestreamed on Facebook when the bullets were fired. His killing triggered a statewide bandh and widespread anger.
Barely two days later, Bikramjit Singh was hacked to death in Mari Pannwan village in the Batala area after he and his companions objected to local drug peddling. Two others were seriously injured. Earlier, Gulzar Singh, the father of a drug addict, died by suicide after allegedly facing harassment for publicly questioning the state’s Finance Minister over the free flow of drugs in his area.
These incidents are not random. They reveal a dangerous pattern: those who challenge the drug networks are being eliminated, while the networks themselves continue to operate with relative ease.
Internal Crack and External Pressure
The crisis has even shaken AAP from within. Nearly 20 party leaders associated with the anti-drug campaign have resigned, openly accusing the government of shielding those involved in the trade. The Union Home Ministry has sought detailed reports from the Punjab government on the recent killings and the suicide case, putting the Mann administration under further pressure.
The Real Balance Sheet
AAP came to Punjab promising to end the drug menace. What it delivered instead is a state where:
- Deadlines are announced and forgotten
- Seizure statistics are celebrated while availability remains high
- Anti-drug activists are murdered in broad daylight
- Ordinary citizens fear speaking up
Punjab’s youth were promised rescue. Instead, they continue to drown. The party that claimed it would clean the state in months is now struggling to explain why those who raise their voice against drugs are ending up dead.
This is no longer just a failure of policy. It is a collapse of responsibility. The people of Punjab were sold a dream of a drug-free future. What they received is a present where speaking against drugs can cost you your life.
That is the real record of AAP’s rule in Punjab.