With months to go before the Punjab Assembly elections, the BJP’s four-pronged “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra”, followed by a mega rally by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Jalandhar on September 30, is set to serve as the party’s formal war cry ahead of the electoral campaign.The September 30 rally will be Amit Shah’s first pre-election rally in Jalandhar as Union Home Minister.With the BJP setting its sights on Punjab after its electoral win in West Bengal, the ‘Nasha Mukt’ yatra is aimed at capitalising on the prevailing anti-drug sentiment in the state and mobilising mass public support for the campaign.With ‘drugs’ and ‘law and order’ among the party’s primary poll planks, the BJP cadre, from the top to the grassroots, has begun preparations for the ambitious 12-day yatra, which will traverse all 117 constituencies in the state.The yatra will begin on September 18 from Madhopur-Sujnapur in Pathankot, starting from Ekta Sthal — the memorial dedicated to Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, marking the place from where he attempted to enter J&K in 1953.On September 19, 20 and 21, the yatras will begin from Fazilka, Talwandi Sabo and Fatehgarh Sahib, respectively, and traverse all 117 constituencies, culminating in Jalandhar Urban on September 30. The Tribune has the detailed route plan of the yatra.Subsequently, an estimated 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh people are expected to attend the Home Minister’s rally in Jalandhar.Marathon meetings of central and state office-bearers across Punjab have been underway for days in preparation for the yatra. Party leaders said 42 central party leaders, including Union Ministers and organisational functionaries, among others, would participate in the 12-day yatras, each of which will begin after an initial rally.Central leaders, including Union Ministers Shivraj Chouhan and Arjun Ram Meghwal, National President Nitin Nabin and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, among others, will participate in the yatras.Meanwhile, hectic preparations are underway for the anti-drug campaign, with leaders tasked with reaching out to drug-affected families, youth, NGOs and others at the grassroots level.A senior party leader said, “In the coming 12 days, the plan is to send a message across Punjab that drug eradication is the top priority for the BJP in Punjab. If the BJP forms the government, Punjab will be drug-free. Everyone else has failed — Capt Amarinder Singh swore an oath and promised to eradicate drugs in four weeks, while Kejriwal promised to do so in four months. But the problem persists. The Union Home Minister has promised a three-year roadmap to make India drug-free, and Punjab is the first stop.”Leaders said that, apart from ‘prabharis’ (in-charges) appointed for every yatra, outreach duties have also been assigned to district Yuva Morcha and party intellectual cell activists, who will visit colleges, temples, gurdwaras and NGOs to mobilise members for the anti-drug campaign.Teams will also meet drug-affected families and record their testimonies.BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “The yatra campaign and the Home Minister’s rally definitely mark the party’s formal call for the eradication of drugs in the state ahead of the elections. The SAD, Congress and AAP have failed to deliver on this issue. The BJP, be it the Ram Mandir, Kartarpur Corridor or a host of commemorative days dedicated to the Gurus, has the credibility to deliver on its promises. People will place their faith in the party.”