As Home Minister Amit Shah called out the AAP government in Punjab over the drug menace, State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) said Amit Shah must explain what the Centre has done to dismantle drug supply chains operating beyond Punjab’s borders.
He also accused the central government of failing to act against synthetic drug manufacturers operating in states ruled by the BJP and the Congress despite repeated appeals from Punjab and said the Centre must stop treating Punjab’s drug crisis as a “political opportunity”.
Mr. Cheema’s reaction came as Mr. Shah met the kin of victims of the drug menace in Punjab and said he had come to remind the AAP government and its leaders that they promised to eradicate the drug trade within three months of coming to power, but it is growing.
“I have met and consoled the families at various places who lost their kin in tragic incidents… I have never felt so deeply saddened in life… the situation of Punjab, which was described by them, shook us,” Mr. Shah said.
In a statement, Mr. Cheema claimed that while the AAP government was taking stringent action against drug traffickers, the Centre continued to ignore the sources supplying synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs that were being misused as intoxicants in Punjab.
The senior AAP leader asserted that the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would pursue the fight against drugs with full force and would not allow “political considerations or administrative obstacles” to weaken its resolve.
“The main sources of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs flooding Punjab are in states governed by the BJP and Congress, yet the central government has failed to take decisive action against those manufacturing and supplying these substances. Punjab is fighting this menace on the ground, but the Centre is turning a blind eye to a serious threat to the lives of our youth,” he said.
“The most shocking fact is that no manufacturing of prescription medicines being misused as intoxicants is located in Punjab. These factories are operating in Haryana, Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The Centre must explain why it has failed to act against the sources of this supply chain,” he said.
In a statement, Mr. Cheema said, “Medicines such as Pregabalin, Gaba, Tramadol, Zopiclone, Flu Practsol and Carisoprodol are being misused as intoxicants in Punjab, even though these medicines can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription. The Punjab Government has repeatedly sought stronger legal provisions to stop this misuse, but the Centre has failed to provide any concrete response.”
“The Punjab Health Department sent letters to the Central Government on October 31, 2025, and September 21, 2026, seeking the inclusion of these medicines in the schedule of the NDPS Act,” Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh also wrote to the Centre.
“Despite these repeated representations, the government has not taken any concrete steps. Why is the Centre unwilling to close this legal gap when the lives of our youth are at stake?” he asked.
The Minister recalled that when he was serving as Punjab’s Excise and Taxation Minister, he wrote two letters to the central government seeking stringent legislation to prevent the misuse of methyl alcohol, which is meant exclusively for industrial purposes.
“Instead of providing an effective solution, Union Minister Piyush Goyal referred to outdated laws, including the Inflammable Substances Act of 1952, the Petroleum Act of 1934 and the Poisons Act of 1919. This is no way to address a serious public safety crisis,” he claimed.
On Mr. Shah’s day-long visit to Punjab on Tuesday (October 20), Cheema said the Union Home Minister must answer “some fundamental questions” including what concrete steps the central government has taken to stop drugs from entering Punjab across the international border.
“The Punjab Government sought financial assistance from the Centre to strengthen the Punjab Police, but no financial support was provided. Punjab has had to build its own anti-drone system using its own resources to dismantle drug-trafficking modules operating through drones coming from Pakistan. Why must Punjab bear this financial burden alone when border security and the fight against cross-border smuggling demand effective coordination?” he said.
Mr. Cheema said Punjab is taking action against drug networks “despite the lack of central assistance”.
“The Centre cannot continue to evade responsibility while the state government commits its resources and personnel to protecting the people of Punjab. Amit Shah must explain what his government has done to dismantle the supply chains operating beyond Punjab’s borders,” Mr. Cheema said.
He also alleged that the BJP wants to turn Punjab into a battleground for its political interests instead of cooperating with the state to dismantle drug networks.
“The people of Punjab need decisive action, stronger laws and accountability from the Centre, not political rhetoric,” he said.
Published – October 20, 2026 07:42 pm IST
