On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had targeted the Punjab government and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the party would be completely wiped out of the state in the upcoming elections. He also said the NDA would form the government and eliminate Punjab's drug problem by 2029.
Speaking to reporters, Mann said, “The government will not be formed according to Amit Shah's wishes. It will be formed according to the wishes of Punjab's 3.25 crore people.”
The Punjab Chief Minister alleged that the state's biggest drug cartel flourished during the Akali Dal-BJP government's tenure from 2007 to 2017.
“Big smugglers had named several senior ministers, with whom they are now talking about a compromise. Drugs are coming from Gujarat. They themselves have admitted that they have seized drugs worth Rs 20,000 crore,” Mann said.
Acknowledging the use of drones for cross-border drug smuggling into Punjab, Mann questioned how narcotics were reaching ports despite the customs procedures and security arrangements in place there.
“How are drugs reaching the ports? There are proper customs procedures and security arrangements at the ports. If consignments weighing 3,000 kg are arriving at ports, it means Gujarat has become the biggest supplier today,” he said.
Mann's remarks came amid a political confrontation over drug trafficking in Punjab, with the ruling AAP and the opposition trading accusations over the issue.
Reacting to the opposition's protest in the Punjab Assembly over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhotta, the Chief Minister accused opposition members of disrupting proceedings instead of participating in discussions.
“They have no other issue. They just want to create a ruckus. First, they say there is no Assembly session, and when the session takes place, they boycott it. The discussion is going on. They should participate in it. There should be question hour. That is how democracy functions,” Mann said.
On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Mansa in Punjab and assured the family of Parvinder Singh Jhotta, who was killed for raising his voice against drugs, that justice would be delivered. During the visit, Shah met Jhotta's family in a meeting that lasted approximately 20 minutes and assured them that justice would be secured.
The exchange between Mann and Shah has brought the issue of drug trafficking in Punjab and the competing political claims over tackling the problem into sharp focus ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
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