Drug Menace: Time to Move Beyond Political Blame Games

Drug abuse and trafficking are no longer problems confined to border states such as Punjab, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Haryana, and Rajasthan, or parts of the northeastern region. The menace has spread to several other states, including Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The northeastern states face specific challenges because of their proximity to the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Laos and Thailand), a major illicit drug-producing region. Andhra Pradesh was identified in the 2019 National Survey as one of the states contributing substantially to India's estimated opioid-dependent population. Telangana, too, figured among the states with high estimated numbers of people injecting drugs.

Like Telangana, Mizoram also faces serious concerns over injecting drug use. The northeastern states, in particular, grapple with cross-border drug trafficking and opioid consumption.

According to the 2019 National Survey, the estimated prevalence of current opioid use among males was particularly high in Punjab at 18.20 per cent, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 11.20 per cent and Jammu and Kashmir at 9.21 per cent. These figures underline the gravity of the problem in these regions.

The irony, however, is that this serious issue has not attracted the attention it deserves from those who claim to be the real saviours of the Constitution, particularly the INDIA bloc and the Congress party. While the BJP has now intensified its campaign against the drug menace, its efforts appear to be largely confined to holding meetings and delivering speeches, rather than launching concrete programmes at ground level to eradicate the menace. By now they should have involved social organisations and activated youth wings like RSS, etc to create some model villages or urban clusters and showcase them to the country. Even social organisations have so far not shown much interest in taking it up in a mission mode.

The drug menace is a grave challenge that can cause irreversible damage to the social and demographic fabric of the country. Yet, political parties, whether in power or in the Opposition, seem more interested in using the issue for political point-scoring than in working towards its eradication.

Instead of fighting for a designated protest site, the CJP should have taken up a massive awareness campaign, ensuring that real change begins in rural areas. If people in villages can be educated and even one village can be made drug-free through the sustained efforts of organisations such as the CJP or any political party, that achievement can be showcased at the national level. It could inspire others and create a healthy spirit of competition among political parties and civil society organisations.

But what is happening instead? Rahul Gandhi visits Punjab, criticises the AAP government and makes a pointed reference to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, claiming that he was drunk when he met him on the premises of Parliament House. Political leaders then come up with a 'Khatakhat' guarantee, promising to eradicate the menace if voted to power.

They need to ask themselves what they have done over the years to curb this problem. What has the INDIA bloc done to educate people and mobilise communities against drug trafficking? How many times has it raised the issue in Parliament or in State legislatures? Isn't the loss of young lives far more serious than 'Vote Chori'?

It is time to end the blame game and demonstrate genuine concern for the well-being of the country's youth. The Congress party should open its 'Mohabbat Ki Dukan' in rural areas in particular and enthuse young people to take up the cause of making their villages drug-free.

This single issue could give the Opposition considerable political traction if it can demonstrate tangible results by creating drug-free villages and educational institutions, particularly in rural areas. It could begin by taking up the challenge in Congress-ruled states. Rather than merely promising a drug-free society, the party should demonstrate that it has the political will and organisational commitment to make it a reality.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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