Singer and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh has joined the conversation around Punjab’s long-standing drug crisis, meeting senior BJP leader Tarun Chugh to discuss ways to raise awareness against substance abuse ahead of the state Assembly elections due in early 2027.
Honey Singh, who has publicly spoken about his own battle with alcohol and cannabis addiction, said he met Chugh to discuss the growing menace of ‘chitta’, a colloquial term commonly used for heroin in Punjab, and its devastating impact on families and young people.
“I came to Tarun ji today to share with him what is happening to Punjab, especially because of ‘chitta’,” the singer said in Punjabi in a video shared online alongside the BJP leader.
The Delhi-based artist, whose family roots trace back to Punjab, expressed concern over what he described as the destruction caused by drug addiction in the state.
“So many families are being ruined, the entire youth is being ruined. We were thinking about how to distance Punjab from ‘chitta’ in any way possible, and Sir is already working very hard on this,” he said.
The meeting comes at a politically significant time for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking to strengthen its presence in Punjab, currently governed by the Aam Aadmi Party.
The BJP presently holds only two seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly and has historically played junior partner to the Shiromani Akali Dal, though Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already ruled out a renewed alliance between the two parties.
Chugh, an Amritsar native and a key organisational face of the BJP, said he had urged Honey Singh to use his popularity and personal journey to inspire Punjab’s youth to move away from addiction. “I made a request to Honey Singh that he should use his voice, his music, his singing, and his words to inspire the children of Punjab to get out of ‘chitta’, hashish, and smack,” Tarun Chugh said.
Describing the drug crisis in stark terms, the BJP leader claimed Punjab was facing an unprecedented narcotics problem. “In my Punjab, the land of gurus, pirs, and prophets, the land of five rivers — today a river of ‘chitta’ is flowing there, and that river is becoming a tsunami that is consuming the youth of my Punjab,” he said.
Tarun Chugh also referred to Honey Singh’s widely discussed personal struggles with addiction and mental health, framing the singer’s recovery as a message of hope for young people battling substance abuse. “If Honey Singh can come out of that quagmire, every child of Punjab can come out. If Honey Singh can make a comeback, then children, you too can become a Honey Singh,” he said.
“If someone says you have only six months to live or that you cannot escape drugs, then look at Honey Singh… Come, my brothers and children of Punjab, let us leave behind this world of ‘chitta’, smack, charas and injections,” Chugh added.
He also argued that recovery required spiritual and emotional support beyond medication. “Medicines cannot make you quit drugs; you need the prayers of the Almighty,” he said.
Honey Singh’s anti-drugs messaging marks a notable shift from parts of his earlier music career, which frequently drew criticism over lyrics accused of glorifying substance use and objectifying women. Several of the singer’s underground tracks resurfaced in public discussion earlier this year following a Delhi High Court takedown order.
More recently, in August 2025, the Punjab State Women's Commission issued a notice to the singer after controversy erupted over lyrics in his song Millionaire from the album Glory, which critics alleged were derogatory towards women.
Even as criticism over his earlier body of work persists, Honey Singh has increasingly positioned himself as a voice against addiction, frequently speaking about his personal struggles and recovery.
Drug abuse has remained one of Punjab’s most politically sensitive issues for nearly two decades, shaping electoral debates across successive governments.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly pledged to eliminate the narcotics crisis and recently renewed his public commitment to tackling the problem. The AAP-led Punjab government has been running the ‘Yuddh Nasheyan Viruddh’ (War on Drugs) campaign, targeting drug peddlers through police action while also promising rehabilitation support for those struggling with addiction.
