Harbhajan Singh Questions Punjab Govt Over Rising Drug Addiction; Cheema Hits Back

August 11, 2026

Chandigarh: A political war of claims and counterclaims over drug addiction in Punjab intensified on Tuesday, with Rajya Sabha MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh questioning the state government over the issue and Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema hitting back.

Harbhajan Singh shared additional videos and pictures on social media to support his concerns about drug abuse in the state and urged the Punjab government to focus on making the state drug-free.

क्या यह भी राजस्थान की तस्वीरे है ? बात पंजाब की drug समस्या की है ।आपके paid troll से यह मुद्दा छिपाया नहीं जाएगा ।इस पर काम करना पड़ेग । जिम्मेदारियों से भागने से हल नहीं निकलेगा । बात किसी व्यक्ति विशेष को टारगेट करने की नहीं है । पंजाब और पूरे देश मे जो भी सेवन करता है नशीले… pic.twitter.com/Ct802htEq5

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 11, 2026

ਪੰਜਾਬ ‘ਚ ਨਸ਼ੇ ਦਾ ਕਹਿਰ ਦਿਨੋਂ-ਦਿਨ ਵਧਦਾ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ, ਆਏ ਦਿਨ ਨਸ਼ੇ ਨਾਲ ਝੂਮਦੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਵੀਡੀਓਜ਼ ਆਮ ਤੌਰ ‘ਤੇ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਨੇ, ਇਹ ਜੋ ਵੀਡੀਓਜ਼ ਨੇ ਇਹ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਹੀ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਇਸ ਬਾਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਕੋਲ ਕੋਈ ਜਵਾਬ ਹੈ ? ਉਮੀਦ ਹੈ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਇਸ ‘ਤੇ ਵੀ ਜਵਾਬ ਦਿਉਗੇ । https://t.co/i4VbsRBvNr pic.twitter.com/F2rys7dYxq

— BJP PUNJAB (@BJP4Punjab) August 11, 2026

In a post on X, he questioned whether videos showing people allegedly under the influence of drugs were also being dismissed as being from another state.

“Running away from responsibilities won’t yield a solution,” Harbhajan Singh said, adding that the issue should not be about targeting individuals but about making efforts to help people struggling with addiction.

Harbhajan Singh Raises Questions Over Punjab Drug Problem

Harbhajan Singh urged the Punjab government to work towards freeing the state from drugs rather than engaging in political blame games.

He also retweeted a post by Punjabi journalist Parmeet Bidowali, who claimed that videos showing young people allegedly under the influence of drugs had been recorded in different cities across Punjab over the previous 48 hours.

The Punjab BJP also responded to the issue on X, alleging that videos of young people under the influence of drugs were emerging regularly from the state and questioning the Punjab Police over the situation.

A day earlier, Harbhajan Singh had expressed concern over the drug situation in Punjab and appealed for efforts to save the state’s youth from addiction.

BJP Cites Drug Abuse Figures

The political row comes after Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon cited figures from a state Assembly committee report on the drug situation.

Dhillon claimed that more than 65 per cent of Punjab’s youth were in the grip of drugs, describing the figure as a serious warning for the future.

He said the report identified people in the 18-35 age group as being among the worst affected by drug abuse.

Dhillon also claimed that consumption of de-addiction medicines such as Buprenorphine had increased by 57 per cent over four years, while civil hospitals faced a shortage of treatment beds.

He argued that the figures contradicted the government’s claims of progress under its anti-drug campaign.

Punjab Minister Harpal Cheema Hits Back

Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, meanwhile, criticised Harbhajan Singh over a video he had shared on Monday, alleging that it was from Rajasthan but had been linked to Punjab.

Cheema said Harbhajan Singh, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the Aam Aadmi Party to represent Punjab’s interests, should use his platform to encourage young people to take up sports and raise issues concerning their future.

The minister accused him of amplifying BJP propaganda and said misleading content should not be used to tarnish the image of Punjab and its youth.

The exchange has intensified the political debate over the state’s drug problem, with the opposition questioning the government’s claims and the ruling AAP defending its efforts to combat drug abuse.