Guest Column: Don’t turn Punjab’s drug tragedy into content

The onus of fighting the drug menace can’t rest on the government alone. This is also a battle for society and the community. Political parties, with their enormous organisational networks, are part of that community.

It was October 2023 when, on my phone screen, flashed two separate videos of life being snuffed out of two youngsters due to drug consumption. Someone had recorded them dying, and a politician from one of Punjab’s opposition parties had posted the videos to highlight the sitting government’s inefficiency in tackling drug addiction. His job for the day had been done. He had created content out of two young deaths, disregarded someone’s privacy and dignity, and turned Punjab into a spectator to its own tragedy.

It was October 2023 when, on my phone screen, flashed two separate videos of life being snuffed out of two youngsters due to drug consumption. Someone had recorded them dying, and a politician from one of Punjab’s opposition parties had posted the videos to highlight the sitting government’s inefficiency in tackling drug addiction. (Representational image)

Personally, it was very disturbing to see young lives die this way, and the experience threw up three choices. The first was easy. To keep scrolling, move on to the next reel and forget those videos ever existed. The second was to show some concern, leave a scathing comment against the government, or perhaps praise the politician for highlighting such a grave issue, and then move on.

The third demanded action. That rather than being a mere spectator to this devastation, how could one contribute towards building a civil society movement against this growing scourge?

Something pushed me towards the third option, and in an emotional moment filled with despair and rage, I decided to lead a People’s Walk Against Drugs from New Chandigarh to Khatkar Kalan. Who would join an individual who was neither a celebrity nor had any organisational strength, I had no idea. But the sheer anger that Punjab was turning its own devastation into content was something I found difficult to digest.

What sort of people have we become, I thought, that rather than taking emergency measures to assist people who appear to be dying from drugs, we record them to score a point over the government? How horrible! It also made me wonder whether this anti-drug narrative was less about Punjab and more about retaining or attaining power. Which leads to a larger question: What is the role of the Opposition in tackling Punjab’s growing drug problem? What is the role of the Opposition in tackling Punjab’s growing drug problem?

Is it merely to scout for videos of young men and women lying unconscious, staggering, standing frozen under the influence of some drug or even dying on the streets? Or does it have a larger role to play? Let us not forget that before they are members of political parties, they are Punjabis. And these parties are huge organisations. They have district units, block-level workers, youth and women’s wings, elected representatives, former legislators, offices, vehicles, social-media networks and thousands of volunteers. And still, what they choose to do is just post videos?

The mindset shift

There is an unfortunate mindset in Punjab’s polity that helping solve a problem somehow helps the government of the day retain power. I can bet on it. Too often, the Opposition appears more interested in harvesting videos of youngsters in distress to score political points than in helping build a reform movement. Without naming individuals, one has seen leaders across opposition parties sharing such videos. It has turned Punjab’s drug crisis into a recurring political spectacle, one that becomes even more pronounced in an election year. And if you question the morality of creating content out of tragedy without contributing to a solution, the troll armies descend upon you saying, this is the job of the Opposition.

But is it? Didn’t political parties reach out to flood victims last year? The SAD, for example, was particularly active on the ground, perhaps also seeing an opportunity to rebuild some of its lost political capital. Whatever the motivation, people were being helped. Why should Punjab’s drug crisis be any different?

There is so much the Opposition can do. Its district networks can organise awareness campaigns, youth wings can engage young people, women’s wings can reach mothers and families, and elected representatives can connect those struggling with addiction to counselling and rehabilitation. Their political machinery can help create social resistance to drugs. The onus of fighting drugs cannot rest on the government alone. This is also a battle for society and the community. Political parties, with their enormous organisational networks, are part of that community.

And none of this prevents them from questioning the government. They must expose failures, demand accountability and ask why drug networks continue to operate. That is their democratic responsibility. And if political capital is alone what they seek from Punjab’s tragedy, there is a better way to earn it. By helping solve the problem. For now, it is poor batting.

singhkhushwant@hotmail.com

(The writer is an author and former state information commissioner, Punjab. Views expressed are personal.)