# Sisodia says Youth Run shows Punjab leaving drugs behind 2026-08-23T18:39:45+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia said the Youth Run Punjab 2026, held under the state government's anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashean Virudh', showed the state is moving forward by leaving drugs behind. Thousands of youngsters and sportspersons participated in the 5-kilometre run, which was flagged off by Sisodia and Bhagwant Mann's OSD Rajbir Singh Ghumman. Cash prizes of up to Rs 11,000 were later distributed to winners. Addressing the gathering, Sisodia said the marathon was the voice of a Punjab that is leaving behind drugs, despair and a mindset of giving up. He said those who once described Punjab as 'Udta Punjab' are now seeing a Punjab that runs and plays. AAP Punjab Youth Development Board chairman Parminder Singh Goldy said the participation reflected growing enthusiasm among youth to build a 'Rangla Punjab'. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The 'Udta Punjab' label was coined after a 2016 film of the same name, which highlighted the state's drug crisis and led to a central ban. The Mann government has made anti-drug operations a key poll plank, with over 20,000 arrests under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act since 2022. However, official data from the Union Social Justice Ministry shows Punjab still has one of the highest rates of opioid use in India. The next assembly election is due in 2027, and events like this run serve as visible outreach to young voters, a demographic that could decide the outcome in several rural seats. Watch for: The number of participants in future such runs and the conviction rate in drug cases, which will test the government's claim of moving beyond the drug crisis. ## Coverage - indiatoday.in Straightforward coverage of a political event with no critical or favourable framing, using the party's own statements without editorial comment. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Aam Aadmi Party, Bhagwant Mann, Manish Sisodia, Punjab Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sisodia-says-youth-run-shows-punjab-leaving-drugs-behind/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sisodia-says-youth-run-shows-punjab-leaving-drugs-behind/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/