Chandigarh, Sep 18 (IANS) To bring the issue of drug abuse into sharper focus in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and Opposition parties trading accusations over the government's handling of the issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will launch four statewide marches against drug abuse in the state from Friday.
The marches will cover all 117 Assembly constituencies before culminating in a rally later this month, which will be addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras” will begin from four locations between September 18 and 21 and collectively cover about 4, 000 km, according to the Punjab BJP.
BJP national President Nitin Nabin will flag off the first march from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Pathankot district on Friday. The march will pass through constituencies in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar before reaching its destination.
The second yatra will begin on September 19 from Fatehgarh Sahib and will be flagged off by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta after she pays obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Jyoti Saroop Sahib, Punjab BJP general secretary and yatra in-charge Rajesh Bagha said. It will travel through parts of Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Phagwara before concluding in Jalandhar.
The third yatra will start on September 20 from the Sadiki border in Fazilka, near the Asafwala 1971 War Memorial, with Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal scheduled to flag it off. It will cover constituencies in Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana and Malerkotla.
The fourth march will begin on September 21 from Gurdwara Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will flag it off. That route will cover Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Sangrur and Patiala districts before heading towards Jalandhar.
All four yatras are scheduled to converge in Jalandhar on September 30, when the BJP will hold a public rally addressed by HM Shah. The BJP has described the campaign as an effort to build public awareness against drug abuse.
Party leaders have also raised concerns about law and order and corruption in Punjab as part of their wider political messaging.