Amid the growing support for the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukti Punjab Yatra’ (Drug-Free Punjab Campaign), a controversy at Lovely Professional University (LPU) has taken a political turn. The BJP alleges that the government became rattled by the momentum the campaign was gaining and the public support it was garnering across Punjab.
Consequently, an attempt was made to turn the LPU incident into a political issue to divert public attention from the campaign and derail it. Notably, a major rally by Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled in Jalandhar on September 30. Against this backdrop, BJP leaders have raised several questions regarding the events at LPU. However, these remain political allegations and have not been independently verified. BJP leaders state that the ‘Nasha Mukti Punjab Yatra’ was reaching various parts of the state, and the party was driving it as a mass movement against drug abuse. Amidst this, reports emerged regarding violence, vandalism, and the alleged presence of outsiders at LPU. The BJP is now questioning whether this incident was used to divert attention from the anti-drug campaign. Bittu directly targets the government.
Former Union Minister of State for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the LPU controversy via the social media platform ‘X’. He alleged that the government is unsettled by the public support the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukti Punjab Yatra’ is receiving. According to him, the events at LPU could be an attempt to divert attention away from this support and the campaign itself.
Bittu also questioned the police’s handling of the situation during the violence and vandalism at LPU. He alleged that the situation escalated because the police failed to take timely and effective action. Bittu further demanded a probe into the entire matter by a central agency. Majithia asks: Why were students used as pawns?
Shiromani Akali Dal senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia also raised questions regarding the LPU controversy through a social media post. He alleged that students are being used as pawns in a political battle. Majithia claimed that outsiders entered the campus and were reportedly found in possession of walkie-talkies, bats, and other items.
Majithia questioned why the identities and roles of these outsiders were not investigated if their presence had been established. He demanded a probe into the matter by the NIA or CBI.
Pratipal Baliawal also raises questions
Pratipal Singh Baliawal took to ‘X’ to describe the LPU incident as a serious law-and-order issue. Questioning the alleged presence of outsiders, he asked who they were, who sent them, and what their objective was. He also raised the question of whether the dispute was deliberately instigated.
Baliawal also called for an investigation into the incident in the context of Amit Shah’s scheduled program in Jalandhar on September 30.
However, there has been no independent confirmation of a link between the LPU controversy and Amit Shah’s program. Beniwal’s social media post regarding the LPU dispute is also being discussed in political circles; his post raised questions about the sequence of events. Consequently, the controversy has moved beyond the university campus to the center of political debate in Punjab. Government orders impartial probe
Amidst allegations leveled by the opposition, the government has ordered an impartial investigation into the matter. The probe is expected to reveal how the dispute at LPU began, whether outsiders were present, who was involved in the violence, and the sequence of police actions. The BJP’s current political question is why the LPU controversy surfaced precisely when the ‘Nasha Mukti Punjab Yatra’ was gaining momentum and—according to the party—garnering public support, and whether this issue was used to derail the BJP’s campaign. The answers to these questions will only become clear through the findings of the investigation.
