CHANDIGARH: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh has hit back after Punjab Police fact-checked a viral “zombie” video he had earlier shared while raising concerns over the state’s drug problem.The off-spinner said the issue cannot be brushed aside by calling out the location of a particular video.In a fresh post on X, Singh shared another video posted by BJP Punjab and questioned whether that footage, too, was from Rajasthan, while stressing that the larger discussion was about Punjab’s drug crisis.“Is this also a picture of Rajasthan? The discussion is about Punjab’s drug problem. This issue won’t be hidden by your paid trolls. Work will have to be done on this,” Singh’s post read.BJP Punjab posted the video on their X handle, captioning the video by alleging that drug use among Punjab’s youth was increasing and asked the Punjab Police to respond.“I hope you will give a response on this too,” the BJP Punjab post said.Singh’s latest intervention came after Punjab Police earlier clarified that a separate viral video he had shared was not from Punjab but from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan.The earlier video showed two men apparently in an intoxicated state.Singh had posted it with the caption, “Nazar lag gayi yaar hamare Punjab ko,” while tagging Punjab Police.Police subsequently said the video had no connection with Punjab and cautioned against assuming the location of an incident based on the language used in a clip.
‘Paid trolls’ remark
Taking a swipe at his critics, Singh said the controversy over the location of the first video should not be used to divert attention from the larger issue of drug addiction.“This issue won’t be hidden by your paid trolls. Work will have to be done on this. Running away from responsibilities won’t yield a solution,” he said.Singh also clarified that his concern was not aimed at any particular individual or political group.“The matter isn’t about targeting any specific individual,” he said, calling for efforts to help people battling addiction.
‘Punjab government should work on making state drug-free’
Singh said the focus should be on tackling narcotics consumption rather than political blame games.“For anyone in Punjab and across the entire country who consumes narcotic substances, whatever efforts are made to free them from addiction should be carried out,” he said.He also urged the Punjab government to focus on making the state drug-free.“Without pulling each other’s legs, the Punjab government should work on how to make Punjab drug-free,” Singh said.
AAP-BJP war over viral videos
The latest exchange comes amid a growing political confrontation between the AAP government and BJP over Punjab’s drug problem.After the earlier video was fact-checked, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the BJP of sharing “fake, fabricated and forged videos” to defame Punjab and its youth.AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had also questioned whether the circulation of the earlier video was part of a coordinated campaign and asked whether the “order” had come from the PMO.
