Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that BJP- and Congress-ruled states are major sources of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs reaching Punjab.
He accused the Centre of ignoring repeated requests from the Punjab government to strengthen laws regulating the misuse of banned medicines and take action against those involved in the drug trade.
Cheema said the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government was taking stringent measures to combat drug trafficking, but the Centre had failed to respond adequately to the growing threat. He raised the issue during a press conference amid Amit Shah's visit to Punjab.
Questioning the Union Home Minister's approach to drug trafficking, Cheema said the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab had been extended by 55 kilometres during the Congress government between 2017 and 2022 to help curb smuggling across the international border.
He alleged that despite the expansion of the BSF's jurisdiction, the Centre had failed to provide the financial assistance sought by Punjab to strengthen its police force. According to Cheema, the state had repeatedly sought thousands of crores of rupees annually for this purpose.
He added that Punjab had become the only state in the country to implement an anti-drone system of its own, helping security agencies disrupt drug trafficking networks using drones from Pakistan.
Banned medicines allegedly manufactured outside Punjab
Cheema said several medicines, including pregabalin, GABA, diazepam, clomipramine, tramadol, zopiclone, fluoxetine and carisoprodol, were being misused as intoxicants in Punjab. He said such medicines should only be supplied under the applicable medical prescription requirements.
The minister claimed that none of these medicines was manufactured in Punjab and alleged that production facilities were located in states such as Haryana, Himachal Pradesh's Baddi industrial area, Rajasthan and Gujarat's Ahmedabad, which are governed by the BJP or Congress.
Cheema said the Punjab government had written to the Centre through its Health Department on October 31, 2025, and September 21, 2026, seeking the inclusion of these medicines in the relevant schedules of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He added that Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh had also written to the Centre on the issue.
However, he alleged that the state had yet to receive a definitive response from the Central government.
Raises methanol deaths and demands stricter laws
Referring to his tenure as the state's Excise and Taxation Minister, Cheema said he had written twice to the Centre seeking stricter laws to prevent the misuse of methyl alcohol, or methanol, which is intended for industrial purposes.
He criticised Union Minister Piyush Goyal for referring to existing legislation, including the Flammable Substances Act, 1952, the Petroleum Act, 1934, and the Poisons Act, 1919, instead of addressing the need for stronger safeguards.
Citing deaths caused by methanol consumption in Sangrur and Majitha, Cheema claimed that investigations had traced the chemical involved in these cases to Faridabad in Haryana. He said the Punjab government had taken immediate action against the companies concerned and those responsible had been sent to jail.
Cheema accuses BJP of politicising Punjab's drug problem
Taking aim at the BJP, Cheema said the party had the ability to push controversial agricultural laws but had failed to act with the same urgency on changes needed to prevent the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs and protect young people.
He alleged that the BJP was attempting to use Punjab's drug problem for political gains rather than helping the state tackle the crisis.
Reaffirming the Punjab government's commitment to its anti-drug campaign, Cheema said the administration under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann would continue taking strict action against drug traffickers.
He also referred to the case involving anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, saying that after police action against the accused, the state government had decided to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure transparency.
Cheema asserted that the Punjab government's fight against drug trafficking would continue and that it would not allow political considerations to weaken its campaign against those endangering the lives of the state's youth.
