"Yudh Nashya Viruddh" Campaign will be a decisive battle against drug menace in Punjab: Hardeep Singh Mundian

Ludhiana, May 3, 2025: Yudh Nashya Viruddh campaign, aimed at creating a drug-free state, is set to become a transformative movement, declared Housing and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian. 

Addressing a district-level meeting at Kingsville Resort, Mullanpur Dakha, with village and ward defense committees of Ludhiana, Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian vowed that the Punjab government would leave no stone unturned until drugs are eradicated and traffickers are brought to justice.

The event was attended by the MLAs Ashok Parashar Pappi, Rajinderpal Kaur Chhina, Madan Lal Bagga, Kulwant Singh Sidhu, Hakam Singh Thekedar, and Saravjit Kaur Manuke, alongside Punjab GENCO Board Chairman Navjot Singh Jarg, District Planning Committee Chairman Sharanpal Singh Makkar, AAP senior leader Dr. K.N.S. Kang, District President (Rural) Advocate Gurdarshan Singh Kuhli, Zonal Coordinator, Drug De-addiction Front Punjab) Sukhjit Singh, Coordinator Ludhiana Urban Balbir Chaudhary, Coordinator Rural-1 Hemraj Sahnewal, Coordinator Rural-2  Manjit Singh  along with a large number of village panchs, sarpanchs, defense committee members, and other prominent personalities.

Minister Mundian highlighted the government’s crackdown on the drug supply chain, with major traffickers arrested and their illegally acquired properties confiscated or demolished—a first in Punjab’s history. He introduced the innovative concept of village and ward guardians, a grassroots force to combat the drug crisis, and announced plans to take the anti-drug campaign to every household, fostering a people’s movement to restore Punjab’s vibrancy.

Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, the campaign encourages youth to embrace drug-free lives and join this public welfare initiative. He criticized previous governments for shielding traffickers for political gain. He called for unified efforts to ensure the campaign’s success and urged defense committees to organize awareness activities at the village and ward levels. He also noted that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is safeguarding Punjab’s interests, whether it is the issue of drugs or water rights. The government is prepared to fight every battle on this front, and a special session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly has been called on May 5 to address these concerns. He criticized the central government and neighboring state Haryana for previously attempting to undermine Punjab’s water rights and causing losses to Punjab’s industries by granting concessions to neighboring states

During the meeting, Mundian administered a pledge to attendees, urging them to act as guardians of their communities and root out the drug menace. MLA Ashok Parashar Pappi issued a stern warning to drug peddlers: abandon the trade or leave Punjab. He emphasized that the police have been empowered to act decisively, with many peddlers already jailed, echoing Chief Minister Mann’s ultimatum to traffickers.

Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma, SSP Ludhiana (Rural) Dr. Ankur Gupta, and SSP Khanna Dr. Jyoti Yadav Bains underscored the collective responsibility in this fight, emphasizing that collaboration between the administration, police, and public is key to victory. They introduced a WhatsApp helpline (97791-00200) for anonymous tips on drug trafficking, encouraging public cooperation.