Nitin Nabin flags off first leg from Madhopur; four statewide yatras to converge in Jalandhar on September 30

Pathankot, 18 September (H.S.): Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Nabin on Friday flagged off the first leg of the party’s 13-day “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra” from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Pathankot district. The four-part campaign will travel through all 117 Assembly constituencies before converging in Jalandhar on September 30.

Addressing the gathering, Nabin said the campaign was aimed at turning the fight against drug abuse into a people’s movement. He said the party’s strategy would focus on action against drug traffickers, disrupting supply networks, tracing proceeds from the drug trade, rehabilitation of people affected by addiction and involving social organisations in awareness efforts.

Nabin said Punjab’s identity should be associated with the teachings of the Gurus, agriculture, sports and its youth rather than drugs. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to adequately address the drug problem and law-and-order concerns. These allegations were made by the BJP leadership as part of its political campaign; the state government has separately highlighted its own anti-drug enforcement initiatives.

Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon described the campaign as an effort to reach families affected by drug addiction. He said party workers would take the message door-to-door across Punjab and urged residents to participate irrespective of political affiliation. Dhillon also criticised the state government’s record on drugs and said the BJP intended to make the issue a sustained public campaign.

BJP national vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal said the drug problem was affecting Punjab’s social image and its younger generation. Former Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma said the issue concerned families across political lines and should not be reduced to publicity or partisan exchanges.

The BJP has planned four separate yatras beginning from Pathankot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Talwandi Sabo. Together, they are expected to cover nearly 4,000 km across the state. Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers are scheduled to join different stages of the campaign.

Several senior Punjab BJP leaders, former ministers, MPs and party functionaries attended the launch event at Madhopur. The campaign will conclude with a major programme in Jalandhar on September 30.

Among others, former Union Minister Vijay Sampla, Parliamentary Committee member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, former Lok Sabha member Preneet Kaur, former Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik, former Punjab minister Manoranjan Kalia, Mukerian MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan and former Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly Dinesh Babbu also addressed the gathering.

Those present included National General Secretary & Punjab affairs in-charge Satish Poonia, co-in-charge Saudan Singh, co-in-charge Dr. Narendra Singh Raina, Rajya Sabha member Tarun Chugh, Rajya Sabha member Bikramjit Sahni, Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu, former Punjab BJP state president Sunil Jakhar, Punjab BJP General Secretary Anil Sareen, Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, BJP leader H.S. Phoolka, former minister Surjit Kumar Jiani, Rakesh Kumar Rathore, K.D. Bhandari, Punjab BJP Mahila Wing president Jaijinder Kaur, Amanjot Kaur Ramuwalia, former MLA Ashwani Shekhri, former MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, former minister Som Prakash, former Lok Sabha member Preneet Kaur, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and several other leaders.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH