Two viral videos, one of which purportedly showed youths lying motionless after consuming the so-called “zombie drug” xylazine, triggered a political slugfest in Punjab, with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh “Bhajji” and the AAP government trading charges over who is responsible for the state’s drug problem.The first video was posted by Bhajji on social media late Monday night and it purportedly showed two turbaned youths in a seemingly drugged state. “What have they turned Punjab into? Seems an evil eye has been cast…. Governments have ruined Punjab and Punjabi youth,” he posted on X.Hitting back, the AAP government alleged that the video was not shot in Punjab. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the video had been traced to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and accused Bhajji and the BJP of attempting to defame Punjab. “It’s a BJP conspiracy to defame Punjab and set an anti-Punjab and anti-Punjabi narrative on the drug issue,” Cheema alleged.The minister also took a swipe at Bhajji’s political switch, saying AAP had earlier recognised his contribution to Punjab and sent him to Parliament, considering him a youth icon so that he could be a representative of the party’s ideology. “But he never raised any Punjab issue in Parliament. It’s shocking that after joining the BJP, he is now defaming his own state,” Cheema said, asking the MP to apologise.The controversy acquired a new dimension after claims on social media that the youths in the video appeared to have consumed xylazine, a veterinary sedative that can be particularly dangerous when mixed with opioids.Cheema sought to turn the attack back on the BJP, pointing to drug consignments seized at ports in BJP-ruled Gujarat, calling the state the “gateway for illicit drugs entering the country”. He alleged that the drugs were reaching Punjab through Gujarat. He also blamed the former SAD-BJP government for the escalation of the drug menace in Punjab, claiming the problem had “gained gigantic proportions” during their tenure.30 kg heroin seizedThe Punjab Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a cross-border narcotics smuggling module in Ferozepur, arresting three persons and recovering over 30 kg of heroin from them.Defending the Bhagwant Mann government’s record, Cheema said the AAP government had launched a “war on drugs”, combining action against smugglers and peddlers with treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.As Bhajji came under attack from several Punjab AAP leaders, including minister Dr Baljit Kaur and AAP media incharge Baltej Pannu, the MP on Tuesday shared the second video purportedly showing men standing motionless in a hunched position and challenged the AAP government to focus on Punjab’s drug problem. “Is this also shot in 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. Running away from responsibilities won’t yield a solution,” he said, asking the leaders objecting to his videos if they had not seen such visuals in the state.The Punjab BJP, in a statement, also supported Bhajji, asking the AAP government to “stop playing with lives of youth and children”.Meanwhile, in a now-deleted post on social media, actor Sonu Sood also shared one of Bhajji’s viral videos, saying he was pained to see Punjabi youth falling victims to drugs. “I pledge to fight this menace and protect our youth… if anybody needs helps, I will ensure that they get treatment and the support they need,” he posted. Sood has generally maintained a politically neutral stand and in the past even collaborated with the Punjab Police for its anti-drug campaign.