Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has accused the AAP government in Punjab of failing to tackle the drug menace and deliver on other fronts, while asserting that the BJP would form the next government in the state.In an interview with The Tribune, Saini ruled out any pre-poll alliance in Punjab. “The BJP’s alliance is with the people, who have made up their minds to bring about a change and hand over the reins to a double-engine government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.Claiming that Haryana was way ahead of Punjab in terms of development, Saini said the people in the neighbouring state were increasingly looking towards the BJP for “better governance and accelerated growth”.On drug addiction, the CM alleged that the AAP government was patronising the drug mafia. “In Punjab, people raising their voices against the drug mafia are either shot dead or booked by the police. Both the Congress and AAP had promised to eradicate drugs, but failed to deliver. AAP had pledged to eliminate the menace within three to six months of coming to power, but failed to keep its word,” he said.Citing Haryana’s measures, Saini said the state had seized properties worth over Rs 11 crore belonging to drug traffickers and jailed around 4,000 to 5,000 people. The state had also set up Sankalp Society and committees involving NGOs at village, district and state levels to facilitate treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of affected people, he said, adding that monthly marathons were being organised to encourage the youth to take up sports. “The BJP will work to eliminate the drug menace in Punjab if voted to power,” he asserted.Highlighting his government’s performance over the last two years, Saini said it had fulfilled 76 of the 217 manifesto promises made before the 2024 Assembly elections, while work on the rest was underway. “The government has transferred around Rs 2,500 crore to women under the Lado Lakshmi scheme and provided free dialysis to kidney patients, benefiting around two lakh people. Healthcare benefits for people aged 70 and above had also been implemented,” he said.Saini claimed that Haryana had fulfilled its promise of procuring crops at the MSP, while farmers in Punjab had not received the benefits promised by AAP.Acknowledging that heavy rainfall had delayed harvesting and procurement in Haryana, Saini assured farmers that every grain of their produce would be procured.On the IDFC First Bank scam, Saini termed the incident involving public money unfortunate and said the entire amount had been recovered. “The matter has been handed over to the CBI, while the Finance Department and the Chief Secretary are examining the issue. A standard operating procedure has been framed for the empanelment and removal of banks,” he added.Responding to protests by youth, Saini alleged that young people were being “misled”. He contrasted the pre-2014 period with his government’s claim of providing jobs on merit under the slogan “bina parchi, bina kharchi”. On Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam employees, he said a portal had registered nearly 70,000 workers and that online payments and minimum wages had helped end contractor exploitation.Saini also cited the regular deposit of monthly pensions and the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana for vegetable growers as examples of Haryana’s welfare delivery. Defending his interest in Sikh issues, he said the turban was a blessing of the Sikh Gurus and should not be subjected to loose remarks. He also accused the AAP government of failing to act against illegal mining, calling former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s dumper-related action a “gimmick”.