CHANDIGARH-Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday launched a sharp attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking him to answer for the seizure of 3, 000 kg of heroin at Gujarat’s Kandla Port instead of defaming Punjab and indulging in political blame games. Challenging Amit Shah to take responsibility for drug routes running from BJP-ruled Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann questioned how drugs continue to enter the country despite border security being under the Union Home Ministry.
Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s post on X, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated: “Amit Shah ji, you should have consulted your advisers before speaking about me. The BSF has a 50-kilometre jurisdiction, yet 3, 000 kg of heroin is being seized at Gujarat’s Kandla Port. Before blaming CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, take responsibility for your own duties. Stop copy-pasting scripted tweets written by your ‘chamchas’.”
Responding to questions about Amit Shah’s remarks on Punjab’s law and order situation, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “I also responded to Amit Shah. Why did you not mention what I said? What reply did I give? Have you ever seen Amit Shah write in Punjabi? Someone must have sent him the statement from here, and he simply copied and pasted it.”
The Chief Minister pointed out, “The BSF has a 50-kilometre operational range along the border, yet consignments of around 3, 000 kilograms of drugs are seized at Gujarat’s Kandla Port. If drugs are coming from Pakistan, then who controls the BSF? It comes under the Union Home Ministry.”
He pointed out, “The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for years.. If the route passes through Rajasthan, whose government is in power there? The BJP’s. If it passes through Haryana, whose government is in power there? The BJP’s. Yet they keep blaming Punjab. Before making allegations against Punjab, they should examine their own responsibilities. Our position is clear: we will not protect any drug smuggler, and we will continue to take strict action against those involved in the drug trade.”
Referring to the period when the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance governed Punjab, he said, “Who was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017? The Akali Dal and the BJP. When Majithia was sending drugs in vehicles fitted with red beacons, who was providing protection? They were the ones doing it. The BJP formed the government at the Centre in 2014, and even after that, they continued supporting those elements.”
“Amit Shah, before defaming Punjab, please consider your own record. In Punjabi, we say that one should sweep under one’s own doorstep before blaming somebody else. First examine your own house, and then make allegations against others, ” affirmed CM Bhagwant Singh Man.
Asked about the timing of political statements and whether Punjab was being targeted, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “This is exactly what will continue now that elections are approaching. If the CBI conducts raids on my family members or on people close to me whom I trust, it means elections are approaching. They followed the same pattern in Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana. So, let them keep talking. The people of Punjab will give their own answer.”
Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia stated: “Amit Shah ji, do not defame Punjab. You are the Union Home Minister. Breaking the drug supply chain through which narcotics are being supplied to Punjab via Gujarat is your responsibility. Today, when the Bhagwant Mann Government has broken the chain of drug traffickers in Punjab, it is your responsibility as the Union Home Minister to dismantle the supply chain operating out of Gujarat. The highest quantity of drugs in the country has been seized at Gujarat’s ports over the past five years. Yet, you have set out to defame Punjab for political gains?”
The AAP Punjab Prabhari pointed out, “Lawrence Bishnoi is operating his entire network from Sabarmati Jail. Phone calls, video calls, threats and criminal operations are all taking place from a high-security jail in your state. The question of where gangsterism is being sheltered should be directed not at Punjab, but at your own government.”
Manish Sisodia noted, “Between 2007 and 2017, when the SAD-BJP government was in power, the drug trade involving ‘chitta’ and heroin flourished in Punjab. The poison sown by your government during that period is what Punjab is being forced to deal with today. Having forgotten that history, are you now trying to defame Punjab? Border security, ports and central agencies such as the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) and DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Government. When drugs are entering the country through Gujarat’s ports, who should be held responsible?”