The Sampadak Express News Desk
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, accused the Union government of treating the State’s drug crisis as a “political opportunity” and demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah explain what the Centre has done to dismantle supply chains operating outside Punjab’s borders. His remarks followed Mr. Shah’s day-long visit to Punjab, during which the Home Minister met families affected by narcotics and criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for failing to fulfil its promise to end the drug trade within three months of taking office, according to The Hindu.
Mr. Shah said he had visited several families who lost relatives to drug abuse and described their accounts as deeply distressing. “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,” he said. He added that his visit was to remind the AAP government of its pledge to eradicate the drug menace, which he said was instead growing.
Responding in a statement, Mr. Cheema said the AAP administration was pursuing stringent action against traffickers within Punjab, but alleged the Centre had failed to act against manufacturers and suppliers of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs operating in other States. He said the main sources of these substances “flooding Punjab” were located in BJP- and Congress-ruled States, identifying facilities in Haryana, Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and claimed “no manufacturing” of the prescription drugs being misused occurs in Punjab.
The Minister said several medicines legally available only by prescription were being diverted as intoxicants in Punjab, listing Pregabalin, Gaba, Tramadol, Zopiclone, Flu Practsol and Carisoprodol. He said the State had “repeatedly sought stronger legal provisions to stop this misuse,” including the addition of these medicines to the schedules of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh wrote to the Centre on October 31, 2025, and again on September 21, 2026, seeking such inclusion in the NDPS schedule, Mr. Cheema noted. “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 said.
Mr. Cheema also recalled that, as Punjab’s former Excise and Taxation Minister, he had written twice to the Centre urging stronger legislation to prevent misuse of methyl alcohol intended for industrial purposes. He said Union Minister Piyush Goyal responded by citing “outdated laws,” including the Inflammable Substances Act of 1952, the Petroleum Act of 1934 and the Poisons Act of 1919, which Mr. Cheema argued did not adequately address the public safety risks involved.
Turning to cross-border smuggling, Mr. Cheema asked what concrete steps the Centre had taken to curb the inflow of drugs into Punjab via the international border. He said the State had sought financial assistance to strengthen Punjab Police but “no financial support was provided,” adding that Punjab had been forced to develop an anti-drone system with its own resources to counter trafficking modules using drones from Pakistan.
“The Centre cannot continue to evade responsibility while the state government commits its resources and personnel to protecting the people of Punjab,” he said, reiterating that the Mann government would continue its anti-drug efforts “with full force” and would not allow political considerations or administrative obstacles to weaken its resolve.
Mr. Cheema further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party sought to make Punjab a battleground for its political interests instead of cooperating to dismantle drug networks. “The people of Punjab need decisive action, stronger laws and accountability from the Centre, not political rhetoric,” he said, calling on Mr. Shah to detail the Union government’s actions against suppliers and manufacturers outside Punjab and measures to stop cross-border trafficking.
