PUNJAB VS DRUGS

Chief Minister Mann must confront the drug scourge in the state. Stakes are high, he must lead to win

EARLIERTHISWEEK, Punjabchief Ministerbhagwantmannledalargeprayer gathering of schoolchildren, in which they pledged to reject the scourge of drugs. The Opposition has predictably labeled it as an admission of defeat. But it's evident that Punjab continues to grapple with the menace that has plagued it for over a decade. Seasoned police officers describe it as narco-terrorism, propagated by an unfriendly neighbour. The state’s vulnerable geography makes it a hotspot for smuggling of heroin and other opioids across the border. For years, every government in Punjab has risen to power with the solemn promise of eradicating this poison. Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s pledge to eliminate drugs withintwomonthsathishigh-profileswearing-inceremonywasseenasaresponseto amajorfactorbehindhiselectionvictory. Inthelead-uptothe2017assemblyelections, the current chief minister would conclude every campaign meeting with his viral ditty on “chitta” (heroin).

Theaapgovernmentrodetopoweronthehighhopesofvoterswhobelieveditwould magicallyturnoffthedeadlytap. Butdrugscontinuetoinfiltratethestate, oftendelivered byunconventionalmeanslikedrones. Thereareaccountsof traffickersemployinginnovative techniques, including crossing flooded rivers. The Director-general of Police regularly updates the public on drug seizures, citing an alarming annual tally of 12,000 to 14,000cases filedunderthe NDPS Act, alongside a record seizureof 1,100kgof heroinin 2023. However, this hasn't yielded a discernible impact on the ground, as police operations frequently target small end-users rather than the major players within the drug network. Drugoverdosedeathscontinue— asperthegovernment’sownreport, 266persons have died of drugs between April 2020 and March 2023.

Manyvillageshaveformedtheirownanti-drugcommittees, whoseactionsoccasionally verge on vigilantism. Responding to this groundswell, the police have initiated some creative approachesto weanthe youth away from thispoison. Some police districts have introducedgullycricket, whileothershaveinstructedconstablestomentoraddicts. Cops arealsoharnessingthepowerofsocialmedia, withdistrictpolicechiefsoftenleadingthese initiatives. The prayer gathering at the Golden Temple was an attempt in this direction. While persuasive communication can be potent, the menace will persist unless the drug mafiaisdismantled. Justlastweek, ahighcourtbenchrebukedthepunjabpolicefortheir absence in drug trials. This is the challenge that Chief Minister Mann must confront, and overcome. It’s a battle for Punjab’s future, and he must lead the state to a win.

PUBLICATION OF INITIAL statistics from the Biharcastecensushasevokedcynicism, anxietyandexcitement. Allthreearepredictable responsesandmanifestthelimitationsofour public sphere.

Thecynicalresponsecomesfromtheruling party at the Centre. While occasionally flaunting its OBC credentials, it has consistently opposed a caste census (though in Bihar, it has taken a somewhat different position). In its opposition, the party seeks to hidebehindtheconvenientfigleafthatsuch a census will undermine (Hindu) unity. In any case, a government that postponed the basic task of conducting a census cannot be expected to employ sound information as the basis for public policy.

Anxiety over the caste census is witnessedamongself-appointedcosmopolitans whothinkthatbynotcountingcaste, wecan makeitdisappear. Thisgroupincludeswellmeaning critics who think that a caste census will encourage sharper caste identities and the politicisation of caste. Such anxiety representsthethinkingof theindianstatein the matter of social justice.

But what is more worrying is the misplaced excitement caused by the caste census. Some opponents of the BJP wrongly thinkthatthecasteissuecanbeacounterto the BJP’S Hindutva. Even if this were a correctassessment— whichitisnot— itwould beabadwayof upholdingameasureaimed ataddressingthequestionofcaste-basedinequalities. Someexcitementemanatesfrom the belief that counting caste is the weapon for doing away with caste.

It is true that Bihar’s caste census opens the door for a more informed public policy onmattersofsocialjustice. However, merely conducting a caste census is no guarantee of such a policy shift — particularly in view of the populist pressures parties have themselves built and under which they operate. Thebihargovernmentannouncedthe“numbers” and much of the discussion today surroundstheseprimarynumbersalmostwithout reference to the complex phenomena they may reveal once they are put to further analysis. Above all, the Bihar census has not yet published the socio-economic informationalsogatheredthroughthishistoricexercise. The second backward classes commission(mandalcommission) washandicapped not only by the lack of contemporary enumeration but also a methodologically ade

It is true that Bihar’s caste census opens the door for a more informed public policy on matters of social justice. However, merely conducting a caste census is no guarantee of such a policy shift — particularly in view of the populist pressures parties have themselves built and under which they operate. The Bihar government announced the ‘numbers’ and much of the discussion today surrounds these primary numbers almost without reference to the complex phenomena they may reveal once they are put to further analysis. Above all, the Bihar census has not yet published the socio-economic information also gathered through this historic exercise.