Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal refutes BJP leaders's drug allegations, announces legal action
Babushahi Bureau
Ludhiana (Punjab), June 9, 2025: Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has strongly refuted allegations leveled against him by BJP leader Anil Sareen, calling them "completely false, fabricated, and baseless." Dhaliwal has announced plans to send a legal notice to Sareen, warning that he will not tolerate attempts to defame him.
In a detailed response, Minister Dhaliwal accused the BJP leader of deliberately misleading the public to malign his image. “The claims are not just inaccurate but malicious. If Sareen does not withdraw his false statement, I will initiate legal proceedings within the next few days,” said Dhaliwal.
He clarified the incident that was at the center of the controversy, stating that on May 28, Ajnala police arrested 6–7 individuals from Lakhowal village in his constituency on drug-related charges.
The following day, locals informed him that two of the arrested youth were not drug peddlers, but users, with one having just returned from a rehabilitation center.
Dhaliwal said he immediately contacted the SHO and visited the police station to verify the facts. The SHO confirmed that an investigation would be conducted. Dhaliwal directed that if the two boys were indeed users and not dealers, they should be sent to rehab.
Subsequently, they were referred to the Amritsar Rehabilitation Center, while FIRs were filed against the actual peddlers. “I even shared the FIRs publicly on my social media to ensure transparency,” he noted.
Drawing attention to his personal connection to the issue, Dhaliwal revealed that he lost his 32-year-old nephew to a drug overdose in 2013, a tragedy that brought him back to India from abroad and committed him to fighting Punjab’s drug crisis. “Even today, my mother mourns his loss. This pain cannot be understood by those who have never faced it in their families,” he said, targeting opposition parties.
He also recalled supporting former Punjab ADGP Shashikant's anti-drug movement during the previous Akali-BJP regime, organizing a massive rally in his village to raise awareness. “I have always stood on the front lines against drugs and terrorism,” he emphasized.
Highlighting the current AAP-led government’s strategy, Dhaliwal said, “Under the 'War Against Drugs' campaign launched by Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann, we treat drug users as patients and dealers as criminals. This policy ensures compassion and justice, and that’s exactly what I followed in this case.”
Dhaliwal reiterated that he will not allow political opponents to derail the government’s mission with “false narratives,” and vowed to continue his fight against the drug menace in Punjab.