Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann hit back at Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday, asking him to explain the 3,000 kg heroin seizure at Gujarat’s Kandla Port rather than defaming Punjab and indulging in political blame games.Challenging Shah to account for drug supply chains running from BJP-ruled Gujarat through Rajasthan and Haryana, Mann questioned how drugs continue to enter the country despite border security being under the Union home ministry.Responding to Amit Shah’s post on X, Mann said, “Amit Shah ji, before speaking about me, you should have consulted your advisors… The 50 km range border security is with the BSF… 3,000 kg of ‘chitta’ (heroin) is being caught at Gujarat’s Kandla Port… Before blaming Bhagwant Mann, take responsibility for your own duties… Do not copy-paste pre-written tweets dictated by your ‘chamchas’ (sycophants).”Responding to questions about Amit Shah’s remarks, Mann told mediapersons in Phillaur, “The BSF has a 50-km operational range along the border, yet consignments of around 3,000 kg of drugs are seized at Gujarat’s Kandla Port. If drugs are coming from Pakistan, then who controls the BSF? It comes under the Union home ministry. There is a BJP govt in Gujarat. Look at your own shortcomings first… I have responded to Amit Shah. Have you ever seen Amit Shah write in Punjabi? Someone must have sent him the statement from here, and he simply copied and pasted it.”He added, “The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for years… If the route passes through Rajasthan, whose govt is in power there? The BJP’s. If it passes through Haryana, whose govt is in power there? The BJP’s. Yet they keep blaming Punjab. Before making allegations against Punjab, they should consider their own responsibilities. Our position is clear: we will not protect any drug smuggler, and we will continue to take strict action against those involved in the drug trade.”Referring to the period when the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance governed Punjab, he said, “Who was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017? The Akali Dal and the BJP. When (Bikram Singh) Majithia was sending drugs in vehicles fitted with red beacons, who was providing protection? They were the ones doing it. The BJP formed the govt at the Centre in 2014, and even after that, they continued supporting those elements.”Replying to a question, Mann said, “If the CBI conducts raids on my family members or on people close to me whom I trust, it means elections are approaching. They followed the same pattern in Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana. So, let them keep talking. The people of Punjab will give their own answer.”Earlier in the day, Amit Shah had posted on X in Punjabi, “Punjab is grappling today with the rising threats of drugs, gangsterism, and organised crime. The biggest question before the Bhagwant Mann govt is: ultimately, who will bear the responsibility for the safety of Punjab’s people? …today, I reiterate my resolve before the people of Punjab that, upon forming our govt in Punjab, we will work with full force to create a drug-free, gangster-free, and secure Punjab.”
