Pathankot, Sept. 18 -- With the Punjab Assembly elections approaching next year, a fierce political battle has erupted between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the state's crippling drug crisis.

Addressing a public gathering in Pathankot on Friday, BJP National President Nitin Nabin officially launched the statewide "Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra," using the platform to deliver a sharp attack on the state administration's handling of public safety and law enforcement.

Nabin's visit comes at a volatile time, closely following the tragic death of Gulzar Singh, a Dalit labourer from Sangrur who died by suicide after allegedly facing harassment and casteist slurs for publicly questioning a state minister over the unr...