Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): As Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Jalandhar to address the concluding rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s statewide Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, prominent hoardings and posters questioning the federal leadership surfaced across major intersections in the city. The displays, featuring photographs of the Home Minister, challenged the party on three contentious regional issues: the interstate flow of illicit narcotics, Punjab’s river water sharing, and the BJP’s potential political realignment with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).
The Aam Aadmi Party stated that the BJP’s anti-drug public awareness campaign had inadvertently turned public attention toward the specific supply routes and transit hubs feeding narcotics into the border province. One of the most prominent questions raised on the hoardings directly asks why authorities have failed to curtail the smuggling of illicit substances into Punjab from maritime transit points in Gujarat. AAP representatives asserted that federal leaders must address the source and interstate distribution networks of contraband instead of limiting their efforts to political speeches targeting Punjab.
The posters also challenged the central government on interstate water disputes, asking why the BJP supports diverting Punjab’s river waters to neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan. Calling for complete transparency, AAP maintained that residents across the state expect an unambiguous explanation regarding the federal administration’s stance on river riparian rights and regional water preservation.
Furthermore, the public displays questioned reports of renewed political cooperation between the BJP and the Badal-led Akali Dal, asking why the parties intend to join forces and whether an alliance would lead to the reintroduction of the repealed central agricultural laws. AAP spokespersons noted that similar hoardings had been placed along several routes as the BJP’s yatra travelled across the state over the preceding fortnight. Emphasizing that political rallies cannot substitute for direct accountability, the ruling party insisted that the Union Home Minister provide definitive answers regarding narcotics enforcement, regional waters, and the BJP’s ongoing electoral strategy in Punjab.
