CHANDIGARH-Aam Aadmi Party Punjab State Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said that the campaign being run on social media by former cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh ‘Bhajji’ and other celebrities to defame Punjab was a dirty conspiracy to stab Punjab, Punjab Police and the government in the back.
Addressing the media during a press conference on Tuesday, AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said, “The same party which had honoured Bhajji and given him a Rajya Sabha seat was the party that he stabbed in the back and then went and sat in the lap of the BJP. Today, these sell-out leaders and celebrities are dancing to the BJP’s tune and blindly making the bundles of lies served by them viral, hatching a dirty conspiracy to stab Punjab, Punjab Police and the government in the back.”
Presenting the facts about the video being circulated on social media, Baltej Pannu said, “The video being circulated on social media by celebrities such as Harbhajan Bhajji and Sonu Sood, claiming it to be from Punjab, is not from Punjab but from Rajasthan. Without knowing any facts, such a bogus video is being posted to defame Punjab merely to garner ‘likes’ and ‘views’.”
Questioning the silence of these leaders and celebrities on drug seizures elsewhere, Baltej Pannu said, “Why did these leaders and celebrities remain silent when news emerged about thousands of kilograms of drugs seized from Mundra Port in Gujarat, regarding which reports had stated that the drugs were eaten by rats? Drugs are a global problem today, against which actions such as the FBI’s ‘Operation Hardball’ are also being carried out, but in Punjab, the state is being targeted by falling prey to the BJP’s tactics.”
Highlighting the action being taken against drugs in Punjab, he said, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the war against drugs is being fought on the ground through ‘Village Defence Committees’ under the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign. Anti-drone systems have been installed along the borders and ordinary people are sending information directly to the DGP (Director General of Police) and the Chief Minister through the Direct App.”
Sharing the performance figures of the Punjab Police, Baltej Pannu said, “From March 1, 2025, to August 9, 2026, the Punjab Police registered 56, 267 cases and named 75, 552 accused. In addition, 3, 575 kg of heroin, 509 kg of smack, 880 kg of opium, 43, 271 kg of poppy husk (doda), and more than 95 kg of charas were seized, while drug money amounting to ₹21 crore 71 lakh 267 was confiscated.”
Speaking about the origins of the drug menace in Punjab, the AAP Punjab Media In-charge pointed out, “The drug menace in Punjab had begun during the previous governments between 2007 and 2017, which destroyed an entire generation. Today, due to the efforts of the Mann government, youth have been turned towards sports. The captain of the Indian men’s cricket team, the captain of the women’s cricket team, and nine players of the Indian hockey team are young people from Punjab.”
Addressing Harbhajan Singh, Baltej Pannu asked, “What contribution have you yourself made, as a sportsperson, towards connecting the children of Punjab with sports?”
Lauding the people of Punjab, the Punjab Police and the warriors of the Village Defence Committees, Baltej Pannu said, “The government and the people of Punjab are standing firmly united in this campaign. We strongly condemn such false conspiracies being hatched by Bhajji and others to defame Punjab.”