BJP Launches Anti-Drug Yatra Amid Alleged Attack on Leader

BJP National President Nitin Nabin launched the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in Pathankot on September 18, 2026. The campaign aims to cover 4,000 kilometers across 117 Assembly constituencies to combat drug abuse, concluding with a rally in Jalandhar on September 30 featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The launch was overshadowed by allegations from BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, who claimed his cavalcade was attacked by between 200 and 500 people near Ghasitpura village. Bittu reported that attackers pelted vehicles with stones and eggs, broke windows, and issued death threats. He alleged that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters and police personnel facilitated the confrontation, and that AAP leaders provided live directions to the attackers via mobile phone. Bittu has notified Amit Shah and intends to file a complaint with the Home Ministry.

AAP officials dismissed the yatra as political drama. AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu accused the BJP of selective targeting of Punjab while ignoring drug issues in BJP-ruled states and failing to stop cross-border smuggling through the Border Security Force. The AAP highlighted its own Yudh Nashean Virudh initiative and the construction of 3,100 sports grounds as superior alternatives to the BJP's campaign.

The BJP's initiative follows the suicide of Gulzar Singh, a Dalit labourer who allegedly faced harassment after questioning Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema about synthetic drug circulation. BJP leaders characterized the attack on Bittu as evidence of a total collapse of law and order under the AAP government.