BJP's Bittu slams Cong, AAP over drugs; Shah vows 'Chitta' free Punjab

BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu criticized Congress and AAP over Punjab's drug issue, backing Amit Shah's vow to make the state drug-free by 2029. Shah declared this the BJP's central campaign issue for the upcoming Assembly election.

BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday targeted the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the issue of drug menace in Punjab, saying that both parties failed to take action. His remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ in Jalandhar and vowed to make Punjab free from “chitta” (synthetic drugs) by December 31, 2029, if the BJP comes to power in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Bittu stated that Punjabis’ sentiments were used for political gains by invoking the name of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. "Neither the Congress nor the Aam Aadmi Party did anything; that is precisely why we joined the BJP. Punjabis are very sentimental; they exploited those sentiments by invoking Bhagat Singh's name to garner votes," he said.

Bittu further backed Amit Shah’s commitment to tackling the drug issue in the state, "Amit Shah has given his word to every mother and sister to ensure that by December 31, 2029, not a single trace of 'Chitta' (synthetic drugs) remains here."

Amit Shah: BJP to Fight Election on Drug-Free Punjab Issue

Earlier in the day, addressing the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in Jalandhar, Shah said the BJP would make a drug-free Punjab the central issue of its campaign in the upcoming Assembly election. “Why has the time come today to make Punjab drug-free? Because the AAP party government allowed the trade of chitta (synthetic drugs) to flourish openly,” Shah said.

He added, “I have come today to tell the people of Punjab that in the Punjab elections, there are many issues—farmers' issues, industry issues, law and order issues, women's safety issues. But the upcoming election, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is going to fight solely and purely on the issue of a drug-free Punjab, for a drug-free Punjab.”

Shah also appealed to the people of Punjab to support the BJP and said the party would work towards ending the trade of chitta by the end of 2029. “Today from here, I promise the mothers and youth of Punjab that in this election, support the BJP, vote for the lotus flower, and before December 31, 2029, we will free Punjab from the trade of chitta,” he said. (ANI)

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