ThePrint ThePrintPod: Navjot Kaur Sidhu has a solution for rampant drug abuse in Punjab—‘opium tablets for addicts’
Apr 9, 2026
A fiery political pivot and a controversial plan to distribute opium tablets to addicts and expand opium cultivation. Claims of boosting farmer income through opium exports and promises to fund candidates and tap NRI donations. Talk of party strategy to contest all 117 Punjab seats and promotes Ayurveda, veterinary care and stray cattle solutions.
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Opium Tablets As Policy Response
- Navjot Kaur Sidhu proposed legal opium cultivation and distribution of opium tablets to addicts as Punjab's solution to rampant drug abuse.
- She argued this would both treat addiction and create farmer income, even suggesting opium export as state revenue.
Claims About Election Spending And Candidate Support
- Sidhu said media misquoted her remark about Rs 500 crore and clarified she meant that election expenses require huge money, not that Congress asked for it.
- She claimed elections force spending then ministers recoup money, promising her party will fund candidates and avoid such costs.
Exit From Congress And 'Pappu' Comment Explained
- Sidhu recounted her exit from Congress, saying Charanjit Channi contacted her but she rejected reconciliation and referenced her husband's sidelined ministerial role as a grievance.
- She explained calling Rahul Gandhi Pappu was an angry, contextual remark after failed attempts to get his attention.