AICC general secretary in-charge for Punjab Sachin Pilot made public remarks in Chandigarh on Friday, responding to a post on X by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that addressed the AAP-led Punjab government over the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also responded to Shah's post, characterising it as a verbatim repetition of content posted elsewhere. In a Punjabi-language post on X, Mann directed Shah not to republish content drafted by his associates. Mann also drew attention to what he described as the BJP-led central government's responsibilities in this area, pointing out that Border Security Force authority covers a 50-kilometre band running along the border, and that a 3,000-kg consignment of chitta had been seized at Kandla port in Gujarat — a state where the BJP holds power — before directing a remark toward Amit Shah, stating that the home minister would have benefited from consulting his advisors on these points prior to making any public pronouncements.

In a separate Punjabi-language post on X responding to Mann, Shah stated that the region was contending with escalating pressures from narcotics, gang activity, and organised criminal networks. Shah's written statement noted that narcotics trafficking in Punjab had been expanding, that organised criminal networks posed a mounting threat, and that those who speak out against drug activity had faced questions about their safety — with the home ministry set to seek responses from the state government on both reported incidents.

Addressing Mann directly, Shah called on the Punjab chief minister to move beyond announcements and deliver concrete outcomes — including action against drug networks and an inquiry into any political connections shielding criminals — before reaffirming his party's pledge to pursue a Punjab free of drugs, gang activity, and insecurity if voted into office. The statement outlined aims centred on curbing narcotics networks, safeguarding younger generations, enforcing accountability for those who break the law, and establishing conditions where residents are free from intimidation.

Mann separately raised doubts about whether Shah could read Punjabi, contending that the content attributed to him had been prepared and supplied by the Punjab BJP team.

Two incidents have drawn attention to the state of public safety in Punjab. A man in Dirba reportedly died after ingesting poison under circumstances described as coercive, while in Mansa, Parvinder Singh Jhotta, who had spoken out against drug activity in the area, was killed in an attack that occurred in daylight. Both cases prompted questions about accountability within the Bhagwant Mann administration regarding the protection of residents. Parvinder's father has put forward a series of complaints directed at the AAP administration and one of its elected representatives.

Pilot was partway through a five-day visit to families who reported being targeted by gang-related extortion in the state when he responded to Shah's post at a media interaction, questioning whether the central government had been inactive on the matter for the past four and a half years and contending that drug-related concerns tend to surface from that quarter only around election time. Pilot also raised the possibility that unlicensed weapons reaching Punjab had their origins across the border, and called on the central government to answer for what he described as a pattern of addressing the state's drug problem only when elections were approaching.

Pilot raised the question of whether the central government had taken notice of revenue streams tied to narcotics, extortion, unlicensed weapons, and the financial networks operating within organised crime. He also drew attention to what he described as inaction at the central government level, noting that federal agencies — among them the intelligence bureau and its supporting infrastructure — had been available throughout. Pilot separately pointed to the BJP's own record as a coalition partner in a Shiromani Akali Dal-led Punjab government during the period when the state's drug problem persisted without resolution — a history he invoked when responding to Amit Shah's claim that the BJP had brought Naxalism to an end and his stated goal of making Punjab drug-free.

Pilot stated that the BJP holds little political presence in Punjab, adding that the party had been working to establish a presence in the state. He said attendance at anti-drug marches organised by the BJP remained sparse and that the outcomes fell below what the organisers had set out to achieve, and that confidence in the party, along with any sense of optimism toward it, had largely drained away among the public.

Opposition Leader in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, who holds the Congress seat for Qadian, put out a written statement questioning what the BJP-led central government had actually done about drug trafficking, gang activity, and organised crime in Punjab over the four years it had been in power — issues the Union home minister had himself pointed to as ongoing problems in the state. Bajwa also asserted that the Congress remained the only credible political alternative in Punjab.

Bajwa argued that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds responsibility for the home portfolio, should provide answers regarding the state of law and order in Punjab, adding that posting a statement expressing concern falls well short of the accountability and concrete steps the situation requires. Bajwa went on to state that the BJP's pointing to AAP governance shortcomings does not release the central government from its own obligations, and that Bhagwant Mann owes Punjab's residents a clear account of the deteriorating sense of personal safety they have been experiencing. Questions about what the Union home ministry has actually done to counter drug trafficking networks and organised criminal groups operating in Punjab have yet to receive a clear public accounting, Bajwa's statement indicated.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin posted on X that the narcotics situation across Punjab had grown to a level warranting attention, while also questioning whether a party that had watched conditions worsen over four years held any standing to position itself as the state's saviour through a single post on social media. Nabin called for stronger action against drug networks and greater protection for those who speak out against them.

The death of Bikramjit Singh, 40, in Gurdaspur — occurring two days after anti-drug campaigner Parvinder Singh Jhota was fatally attacked in Mansa — has drawn further attention to the state of public safety in Punjab.

Former Punjab Congress president Warring wrote on X that while the state administration continued to attribute the spread of chitta to cross-border sources, capsules of a reportedly illicit nature had begun appearing in rural areas, with children of school-going age among those said to be at risk. One man died and two others sustained injuries in Sri Hargobindpur after they had reportedly raised objections to what locals described as drug dealing activity in the area. Affected families continue to wait for concrete action as the government's response has so far been limited to public statements, according to those raising the complaints.

Batala SSP Mehtab Singh attributed the killing in Maari Pannuan village, near Sri Hargobindpur, to a dispute over a mobile phone rather than any connection to drug-related activity — an account that stands alongside the demands for accountability over drug networks and protection for those who speak out against them.