Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami joins BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra on Day 9, says ‘We will build an Ubharda Punjab’
Babushahi Bureau
Mukerian (Punjab), September 26, 2026: Uttarakhand Chief Minister and BJP leader Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday joined the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, participating in roadshows and public meetings in Mukerian, Dasuha and Urmar on the ninth day of the 13-day statewide campaign.
Dhami, who participated in a roadshow in Mukerian and addressed public gatherings, said the BJP would work to build an “Ubharda Punjab” (Rising Punjab) and make the state “developed, safe, healthy and drug-free.”
“I have come with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message and a resolve to make Punjab drug-free,” Dhami said in Dasuha, adding that the campaign would be taken to every household and individual in the state.
Targeting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Dhami alleged that it had failed to fulfil its promise of making Punjab drug-free within three months. He also alleged that people raising their voices against drugs were being harassed.
“The AAP government had promised to make Punjab a drug-free state within three months, but the situation today is unfortunate,” Dhami said.
In Mukerian, Dhami said the AAP government had pushed Punjab into what he described as “Udta Punjab”, and claimed that the BJP would restore the state’s “lost pride and glory”.
“This is not a yatra to seek votes. It is a yatra to save the young children of mothers,” Dhami said, describing the campaign as an effort to fight drug abuse and restore Punjab’s identity.
He also said the BJP had announced a decisive campaign against drug peddlers and referred to the Centre’s stated objective of making India drug-free.
The BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra was launched on September 18 from Madhopur in Pathankot by party national president Nitin Nabin. Four simultaneous yatras are covering nearly 4,000 km across all 117 Assembly constituencies, with the campaign scheduled to culminate in Jalandhar on September 30, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the concluding programme.
Former Union Minister Som Prakash also addressed the gatherings and criticised the Punjab government over its handling of the drug issue. Mukerian MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan and Punjab BJP General Secretary Parminder Singh Brar also spoke during the campaign.
The BJP has positioned the yatra as a statewide campaign against drug abuse, while the ruling AAP has separately been conducting its ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign, which includes measures targeting drug networks, prevention, community participation and treatment.