Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Tuesday asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to explain how heroin consignments weighing up to 3,000 kg reached Gujarat’s Mundra Port, asserting that the Centre and the BJP must answer questions about their own record before holding Punjab solely responsible for the drug menace.
Welcoming Shah’s visit to Punjab to meet the families of victims, Arora said the state had a proud tradition of welcoming guests and that the Punjab government was ready to answer questions about its performance. However, he said the Union government and the BJP must also be held accountable for their record over the past 12 years.
Addressing a press conference, the AAP leader raised four questions concerning drug smuggling across Punjab’s international border, the seizure of massive heroin consignments at Mundra Port, the BJP’s role during the 2007–2017 Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government in Punjab, and law-and-order concerns in BJP-ruled states.
Arora’s first question concerned the 543-kilometre international border between Punjab and Pakistan. He said the responsibility for guarding the border rested with the Border Security Force (BSF), which operates under the Union government.
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah must explain why the Centre has repeatedly failed to prevent drugs from being smuggled across the international border,” Arora said.
He added that the Punjab government had deployed anti-drone systems to strengthen the second line of defence against cross-border smuggling. While the state was taking measures to prevent drugs from entering Punjab, he asked the Centre to explain the steps it had taken to secure the international border and dismantle drug-trafficking networks.
Arora’s second question focused on the massive heroin consignments seized at Gujarat’s Mundra Port. He asked how consignments involving up to 3,000 kg of heroin had reached the port in a state governed by the BJP for years.
“What concrete action has the Union government taken against the networks responsible for bringing such huge quantities of drugs into India and distributing them across different states, including Punjab?” he asked.
AAP Punjab president said the Centre could not hold Punjab alone responsible for the drug problem while avoiding questions about large narcotics consignments reaching other parts of the country. He demanded accountability for the networks involved and action taken against those responsible.
His third question concerned the BJP’s record during the SAD-BJP government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. Arora said the BJP had been part of the government throughout both terms, when the term ‘chitta’ became widely associated with Punjab’s drug crisis.
He asked why the BJP had failed to raise the alarm or take effective action against the drug problem and gangster culture during that period.
“Why was the BJP silent then, and why is it shedding crocodile tears today?” Arora asked, demanding that the party explain its role during its decade in power alongside the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The minister’s fourth question focused on law and order in BJP-ruled Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. He asked Shah to address concerns over gangster networks and law-and-order issues in states governed by his own party instead of making Punjab the sole focus of political criticism.
“Accountability cannot be a one-way street,” Arora said, adding that the Centre and the BJP should be answerable for the situation in states under their governance as well.
He reiterated that the Punjab government was prepared to face scrutiny and answer questions about its performance but insisted that the same standard should apply to the Union government and the BJP.
Punjab Government Stands with Parvinder Singh Jhota’s Family
Referring to the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa, Arora said the Punjab government stood firmly with the bereaved family.
He said the government had taken action against those accused in the case and remained committed to acting firmly against individuals involved in activities that threaten the future of Punjab’s youth.
Arora maintained that the fight against drugs required accountability at every level, adding that the Centre must explain its record on border security and drug trafficking while the Punjab government continued its efforts to tackle the menace.
