Chandigarh-Bharatiya Janata Party participated actively in the Punjab bandh called in protest against the murder of social activist Parvinder Singh Jhotta, who had raised his voice against drug abuse in Mansa. Party workers across all districts demanded justice for the victim’s family. Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon thanked the people of Punjab for their support and for the successful protests held across the state.
He said that the public’s support demonstrated that Punjab had now united against drugs. Dhillon made it clear that the BJP would not allow the case to fade from public attention. The party would continue to demand a CBI investigation into the matter to ensure that the truth comes out and the guilty are given strict punishment. He reiterated that the party’s struggle would continue until the victim’s family receives justice. He said that this was not merely a fight for one family, but a fight for the entire state of Punjab.
Dhillon also strongly criticised the state government’s action of demolishing the house and medical store of the chemist accused in the murder, who was allegedly involved in selling drugs in Mansa. He described the action as nothing more than a publicity stunt. Drug traffickers, he said, were moving around fearlessly in the state, without any fear of either the police or the government. The government had made nothing but hollow promises to eradicate drugs, while failing to take meaningful action on the ground.
Dhillon directly held Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government responsible for the prevailing situation in Punjab. He said that Punjab did not need such a weak Chief Minister who had failed to rein in drug traffickers. Bhagwant Mann should take moral responsibility and resign from his post voluntarily, he added.
The Punjab BJP President said that if the BJP formed the government in Punjab, the state would be made completely drug-free. He said that the Central Government was serious about tackling the issue. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set December 31, 2029, as the deadline for the complete eradication of drugs. Dhillon asserted that if the BJP formed the government in Punjab, drugs would be uprooted from the state within two years.