Chandigarh: Launching a sharp attack on the AAP government, senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Saturday alleged that the much-publicised anti drug campaign “Yudh Nasheya Virudh” has turned into a “stage managed spectacle” under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Majithia said the government’s claims stand exposed by its own contradictory data. “In advertisements, the government boasts of arresting 90,000 drug peddlers. However, the official press note admits that only 58,136 arrests have been made in 405 days. Where are the remaining 31,864 smugglers?” he asked, terming the figures “inflated, misleading and designed to throw dust in the eyes of the public”.
He alleged that the campaign is not a genuine crackdown but a “manufactured narrative”. “One number is floated for publicity and another is recorded officially. This is not governance, this is data manipulation,” he said.
Citing a recent case in Jagraon, Majithia claimed that even police action on the ground was being “scripted”. “An FIR mentions recovery of lahan from a house, but CCTV footage from Jagraon shows police personnel themselves bringing the container in a vehicle, placing it inside the premises and later showing it as a seizure. This raises serious questions about planting of liquor material and misuse of power,” he said.
Calling the entire exercise a “farce”, Majithia alleged that under the Kejriwal Mann model, “everything is fabricated, rehearsed and stage managed from top to bottom”. He said innocent people risk being framed to create artificial success stories while the real drug network remains untouched.
“Is this ‘Yudh Nasheya Virudh’ or a staged performance to generate headlines?” he asked, demanding accountability from the state leadership and the police establishment.
Majithia further questioned the credibility of the government’s anti drug claims, alleging that “those truly involved in the drug trade continue to escape, while the system focuses on optics rather than outcomes”.
Seeking answers, he said the Chief Minister must clarify which figures are correct and explain the discrepancy. “Punjab deserves the truth, not manufactured statistics and scripted enforcement,” he added.