Kejriwal Hits Back at Amit Shah Over Punjab Drugs and Farm Lawsਕੇਜਰੀਵਾਲ ਦਾ ਅਮਿਤ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ ਜਵਾਬ: ਨਸ਼ੇ ਤੇ ਖੇਤੀ ਕਾਨੂੰਨਾਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਪਲਟਵਾਰ

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched a sharp counter attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah questioned the Bhagwant Mann government over law and order in Punjab. In a post on X, Kejriwal accused the BJP of facilitating the drug trade in Punjab in the past and of trying to destabilise the state again. The BJP has not responded to the specific allegations in the post.

What did Kejriwal allege?

Kejriwal alleged that drugs are spread in Punjab through the Adani port route, and that protection is provided in Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad to a person spreading gangsterism in Punjab. He further alleged that between 2007 and 2017 the BJP colluded with what he called the chitta party, using the street term for heroin, to flood Punjab with drugs, and that it was now joining hands with the same party again and dreaming of earning billions by selling drugs in the state. These are political allegations made by the AAP chief, and no independent verification of them accompanied the post.

What else did he accuse the BJP of eyeing?

Kejriwal said the public knows that the BJP's gaze is on Punjab's river waters, on Panjab University and on Chandigarh. He asked whether the party wants to bring back the three black laws, a reference to the three farm laws that were enacted in 2020 and repealed in 2021 after a year of farmer protests, and said Punjab will never allow this to happen. He also claimed that the highest drug menace today is in states where BJP governments have been in power for years.

What had Amit Shah said?

Shah had said Punjab is grappling with rising threats of drugs, gangsterism and organised crime, and asked who would take responsibility for the safety of Punjab's people. Citing the broad daylight murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and a father's death by poison under pressure in Dirba, he said the Home Ministry will seek responses from the Punjab government on both incidents, and that Jhota's father has levelled grave allegations against the AAP government and an MLA. Shah said the people of Punjab want answers and results, not announcements, and reiterated his party's resolve to make Punjab drug free and secure if voted to power.

Why does this exchange matter?

The exchange has turned the fallout from the Jhota killing into a direct Centre versus Punjab political fight, months ahead of the state assembly elections due in early 2027. Drugs, gangsterism and the safety of people who speak against the trade have become the central battleground between the AAP, which governs Punjab, and the BJP at the Centre.

What are the three farm laws Kejriwal mentioned?

They are the three central agriculture laws enacted in September 2020, which triggered sustained protests led by Punjab's farmer unions and were repealed in December 2021. Kejriwal's warning is that, in his allegation, the BJP wants to revive them.