Rs 250-Crore Drug Census In Punjab Sparks Row, BJP Seeks Data, AAP Hits Back

The political controversy over Punjab's drug census has intensified, with BJP leader and former state party president Sunil Jakhar questioning the alleged expenditure of Rs 250 crore on the exercise and demanding that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government make its findings public.Jakhar has accused the state government of keeping the survey findings under wraps despite spending a substantial amount of public money. The BJP claims nearly Rs 250 crore was spent on the exercise, while the state Budget reportedly allocated Rs 150 crore for it.The AAP government, however, has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the data collected through the exercise is being analysed and used by the concerned departments. The government has also said the findings will be released at an appropriate time.What Is Punjab's Drug Census?The Punjab government launched the drug census to assess the extent of substance abuse across the state, identify areas severely affected by the menace and gather ground-level information on drug consumption and supply networks.The exercise, which began on May 5, 2026, aimed to cover around 65 lakh households across Punjab with the help of nearly 28,000 government employees. Teachers, contractual staff and computer operators were among those deployed for the survey.The questionnaire covered several aspects, including drug consumption within families, the availability of narcotic substances in different localities, the severity of the problem, access to de-addiction centres and the perceived impact of the government's anti-drug campaign.The objective was to identify vulnerable areas, estimate the number of people affected by substance abuse and collect information that could help the government formulate targeted interventions.However, the absence of a publicly available detailed report has raised questions about the actual expenditure, methodology and outcome of the exercise.Jakhar Alleges Hidden Agenda, Questions Kejriwal and Sisodia's RoleAddressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Jakhar questioned the government's intentions behind conducting the drug census, alleging that the exercise may have been aimed at understanding and controlling the narcotics supply chain rather than eliminating the drug menace.Linking the exercise to what he described as a possible 'business model', Jakhar asked why the findings had not been made public despite the government surveying lakhs of households and allegedly spending hundreds of crores of rupees.He further alleged that the initiative was driven by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, rather than Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.Jakhar also raised questions about the alleged role of pharmaceutical drugs in Punjab's narcotics problem, referring to an earlier statement purportedly made by the Punjab DGP. He claimed a significant portion of the drug problem was linked to pharmaceutical substances and questioned whether the government was attempting to establish control over the supply chain.The BJP leader also flagged the possibility of a nexus involving drug traffickers and political and administrative elements. He said he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a CBI and NIA probe into the alleged drug and gangster networks operating in Punjab.These allegations have been made by the BJP leader and have not been independently verified.AAP Hits Back, Says Data Under ExaminationRejecting Jakhar's allegations, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the BJP of politicising a sensitive issue and attempting to undermine the government's anti-drug campaign.Cheema said the data collected through the drug census was being examined and would be released at an appropriate time.Taking a swipe at the BJP, he said the drug problem had also grown during the tenures of previous Congress and BJP governments, while the AAP government was making sustained efforts to eliminate the menace.AAP Punjab general secretary and spokesperson Baltej Singh Pannu also dismissed Jakhar's allegations, saying the drug census was an integral part of the government's 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign.Pannu said the information collected during the survey was being utilised by various government departments according to their requirements.He accused the BJP leader of making baseless allegations and asserted that the state government remained committed to eradicating drugs from Punjab.Drug Census Report Becomes Fresh Political Flashpoint Ahead of 2027 PollsWith Punjab heading towards the 2027 Assembly elections, the controversy has opened another political front between the ruling AAP and the BJP over the drug menace, one of the state's most sensitive electoral issues.While the BJP is questioning the government's expenditure, transparency and intentions, the AAP is defending the exercise as part of its broader anti-drug strategy.The key question now is when the government will make the findings public and disclose the actual expenditure incurred on the census.The release of the report could prove crucial in establishing whether the exercise has translated into a concrete roadmap to tackle Punjab's drug crisis or has remained largely a data-collection exercise.