Ahead of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Yatra’ in poll-bound Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday launched a sharp counter-offensive, accusing the Opposition of deliberately portraying Punjab as a state plagued by drugs and lawlessness while ignoring the wider national drug-smuggling network.The BJP’s yatra is scheduled to begin on September 18 and is expected to put the issues of drug abuse and law and order at the centre of the political discourse ahead of the Assembly elections.Addressing the media along with DGP Gaurav Yadav and senior police officers, Mann said Punjab remained a “peace-loving state” and maintained that its law-and-order record was being unfairly questioned.Taking a dig at the BJP’s proposed anti-drug campaign, Mann said the Centre should first address drug consignments entering the country through ports in Gujarat and drug seizures in other BJP-ruled states.“We recover a few kilos from Punjab that we sent as payloads through drones. But what about the 3,000 kg of drugs recovered from Mundra port in Gujarat. Why is that not even acknowledged? They only know how to blame and defame,” he said, asking the Centre to “take care of your Mundra port.”Mann said Punjab’s geographical location made it particularly vulnerable to cross-border smuggling. The state shares a 533-km international border with Pakistan and, being a gateway to the country, faces continuous attempts to push drugs and weapons across the border.He said around 40 per cent of the Punjab Police force was deployed to assist the BSF, while the state police had strengthened its anti-drone capabilities and acquired new vehicles to improve policing.1,777 gangsters arrested: MannDefending the government’s record against organised crime, Mann said 1,777 gangsters had been arrested, while 28 extradition-related cases had been pursued and 18 accused brought back to India.DGP Gaurav Yadav, however, said 3,177 gangsters had been arrested and 1,234 modules busted during the ongoing crackdown. He said the police had registered 7,582 FIRs under the NDPS Act since March 1, 2025, with an 89 per cent conviction rate in cases where the trial process had concluded.Yadav said the arrest of gangster Amritpal Singh Dalam from Moldova was the 10th international fugitive arrest secured by the Punjab Police. Since India does not have an extradition treaty with Moldova, the police relied on the principle of reciprocity and sovereign assurances to secure his return, he said.The DGP said the police had also intensified inter-state operations and were using artificial intelligence in policing.‘Where did 54 AK-47s come from?’On recent incidents involving grenade attacks, Yadav said the accused in the reported cases had been arrested. He said 43 such incidents had been reported and the police had made significant progress in tracing those behind them.Mann also raised the alleged nexus between drugs, organised crime and the illegal arms network operating in Punjab.Referring to the recovery of assault rifles, he asked, “Where did the 54 AK-47s come from?” He said such developments were harmful to Punjab and could not be viewed merely through the prism of state law and order.Taking a swipe at the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mann said he found it “laughable” that the SAD was raising the issue of gangsters after having governed Punjab for years.However, when asked about Nabha jailbreak accused Gurpreet Singh Sekhon joining the AAP, Mann chose not to respond.He alleged that Opposition parties were increasingly resorting to “eagle politics” and raising slogans against him instead of discussing Punjab’s development.Mann targets Centre over coal, Seeds ActMann also accused the BJP-led Centre of discriminating against Punjab. He said he had repeatedly raised the issue of drug smuggling at meetings of the North Zonal Council and would continue to press the Centre to address trafficking through other states and ports.On the power situation, Mann said the immediate crisis had been resolved and that he had spoken to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Punjab wanted to use coal mined from its allocated coal mine for its thermal plants, including private plants, and had requested Coal India to permit its use in private plants as well, he said.Mann said new vehicles would soon be provided to DSP-rank officers to strengthen policing.The Chief Minister also criticised the Centre over the proposed Seeds Act, saying Punjab had not been included in the group constituted to decide on the legislation despite the state being one of India’s major