Centre’s Initiative to Find a Permanent Solution to Waterlogging in Fazilka Is Welcome step: Kewal Singh Dhillon

Formation of Six-Member Expert Committee Will Open the Way for Major Relief to Farmers

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Shares Details with BJP Punjab President in a Letter

Chandigarh: October 15, 2026-Kewal Singh Dhillon, President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab, has welcomed the Central Government’s initiative to find a permanent solution to the serious problem of waterlogging and waterlogged saline land in Fazilka district. On behalf of Punjab’s farmers, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the initiative.

Kewal Singh Dhillon said that the formation of a six-member expert committee under the leadership of the Director of ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to find a permanent solution to the waterlogging problem in Fazilka was an important step. The committee will conduct a ground-level assessment of the affected areas and recommend appropriate, scientifically sound solutions to restore agricultural land affected by waterlogging and make it suitable for cultivation again.

He said that farmers in Fazilka and adjoining areas suffer substantial losses every year due to waterlogging. The initiative taken by the expert committee will help identify the root causes of the problem and develop permanent and effective solutions.

The Punjab BJP said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government is committed to the welfare of farmers, strengthening the agricultural sector and increasing farmers’ incomes. This initiative marks an important step towards finding scientific and sustainable solutions to the problems faced by Punjab’s farmers.

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Sunil Jakhar questions government and DGP over Mansa incident and drug inspector’s reinstatement

— Says drug inspector arrested in 2024 as the alleged kingpin of a drug network involving drug money was reinstated and given a key responsibility

— Questions why the investigation was not entrusted to the ED despite allegations of money laundering
— Alleges government patronage of the drug trade has turned inspectors like Shishan into sources of illicit earnings for those in power

Chandigarh, October 15-Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar today accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of staging theatrics in the name of combating drugs. He alleged that a drug inspector arrested in 2024, described at the time as the kingpin of a drug network and linked to substantial money and properties, had subsequently been appointed to an important position at the department’s headquarters by the Mann government. He also questioned why the government had not involved the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the investigation despite allegations of money laundering.

Addressing a press conference here, Jakhar raised several questions for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the DGP regarding the Mansa incident, the Punjab government’s performance against drugs and the reinstatement of drug inspector Shishan Mittal. He said that alongside its claims of action against drugs, the government must explain what concrete steps it had taken against major trafficking networks and their financial transactions.

Referring to Mittal’s case, Jakhar said the Anti-Narcotics Task Force had arrested him in September 2024 on allegations of colluding with drug traffickers lodged in prisons and laundering drug money. According to Jakhar, the investigation led to the freezing of ₹7.09 crore in 24 bank accounts, while ₹1.149 crore in cash, approximately 260 grams of gold and foreign currency were reportedly recovered from two lockers. He also referred to real estate holdings in Zirakpur and Rajasthan.

Jakhar said Mittal had been posted to Fazilka following complaints in Mansa and was arrested in Mohali during that posting. He questioned how, after being granted bail and reinstated in 2025, Mittal had been entrusted with control over work relating to drug samples at the headquarters.
He urged the Chief Minister to ascertain, during tomorrow’s review of anti-drug measures, who had appointed the inspector to an important position again. Jakhar alleged that instead of involving the ED in the investigation, the Bhagwant Mann government, which he accused of being steeped in corruption, had treated the inspector as a source of illicit earnings and assigned him a key responsibility at the department’s headquarters.

He asked the Chief Minister and the DGP how many other drug inspectors had faced action following this case, how far investigations into traffickers’ money trails had progressed and what steps had been taken against kingpins operating their networks from prison. Citing the foreign currency and alleged financial transactions, he questioned why the case had not been handed over to the ED.
Jakhar said Punjab had seen initiatives such as the anti-drug task force, CASO, Operation Clean, ANTF and “Yudh Nashian Virudh,” but the government must provide a clear account of their results. He alleged that merely changing the names of campaigns would not resolve the drug problem.

Referring to the DGP’s claims in March 2026 regarding the arrest of 2,868 gangsters, recovery of 2,273 weapons and busting of 111 modules, he asked what impact these operations had made on the ground. He also challenged the Chief Minister to release a list of gangsters who, he alleged, had been inducted into the Aam Aadmi Party.
Jakhar said governance was virtually absent in Punjab and people had been compelled to step forward to fill the vacuum. He said the gathering of people in Mansa reflected the government’s true record and showed how distressed people were under its rule.

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Jhotta Murder Case: BJP Will Continue Its Struggle Until the Family Gets Justice: Kewal Singh Dhillon

Punjab BJP President Thanks the People of Punjab for the Peaceful Punjab Bandh

Chandigarh, October 15:The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) participated actively in the Punjab bandh called in protest against the murder of social activist Parvinder Singh Jhotta, who had raised his voice against drug abuse in Mansa. Party workers across all districts demanded justice for the victim’s family. Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon thanked the people of Punjab for their support and for the successful protests held across the state.

He said that the public’s support demonstrated that Punjab had now united against drugs. Dhillon made it clear that the BJP would not allow the case to fade from public attention. The party would continue to demand a CBI investigation into the matter to ensure that the truth comes out and the guilty are given strict punishment. He reiterated that the party’s struggle would continue until the victim’s family receives justice. He said that this was not merely a fight for one family, but a fight for the entire state of Punjab.

Dhillon also strongly criticised the state government’s action of demolishing the house and medical store of the chemist accused in the murder, who was allegedly involved in selling drugs in Mansa. He described the action as nothing more than a publicity stunt. Drug traffickers, he said, were moving around fearlessly in the state, without any fear of either the police or the government. The government had made nothing but hollow promises to eradicate drugs, while failing to take meaningful action on the ground.
Dhillon directly held Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government responsible for the prevailing situation in Punjab. He said that Punjab did not need such a weak Chief Minister who had failed to rein in drug traffickers. Bhagwant Mann should take moral responsibility and resign from his post voluntarily, he added.

The Punjab BJP President said that if the BJP formed the government in Punjab, the state would be made completely drug-free. He said that the Central Government was serious about tackling the issue. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set December 31, 2029, as the deadline for the complete eradication of drugs. Dhillon asserted that if the BJP formed the government in Punjab, drugs would be uprooted from the state within two years.

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