The Congress in Punjab has decided to continue with its plan to hold a dharna as a part of the party’s tirade against drug menace in the State, even as Delhi Assembly elections have come in way of BJP national president Amit Shah and his proposed anti-drug rally on January 22. Former Chief Minister and Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh, just a day before, had announced to organise a rally on the same day to take on the ruling Akali-BJP alliance in the State on the drug issue, especially to confront the BJP rally on the same day.
The decision, to expose BJP’s “double face” on the drugs issue, was taken during Capt Amarinder’s luncheon meeting in Patiala on Sunday which was attended by 34 out of 44 MlAs, while four have extended their support by talking to the senior leader telephonically. Maintaining that he would go ahead with the January 22 rally, Capt Amarinder said that Amit Shah will be “confronted” whenever he organises the rally in Amritsar.
Also the Amritsar MP made it clear that party’s rally at Amritsar will be held as scheduled on January 22 even though the BJP has “cancelled its rally and ran away”. “Once bitten twice shy…Having lost the parliamentary elections in Amritsar, the BJP had clearly opted to be wiser this time by walking out of the contest,” he said.
“There is no question of cancelling or postponing it…Because the issues for which we are holding the rally still remain there as we are confronting the Akali-BJP Government for its failure to curb the problem of drugs and for patronising the drug peddlers,” he said. Capt Amarinder added that Amritsar rally would be the first in a series of rallies to be organised State-wide in the coming months on the drugs issue.
Reacting strongly, Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma asked the senior Congress leader to not to make his own interpretation and stop blowing his own trumpet. Sharma challenged Capt Amarinder to make Congress win Delhi assembly polls if he has so much faith in his popularity. “Congress has appointed him as Deputy leader in the Parliament, but he abstained from the entire winter session. So do we interpret it that he ran away fearing Narendra ModiIJ” quipped Sharma.
The state BJP chief added that everyone is aware how BJP has defeated Congress in areas like Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, which were known as Congress citadel. “Postponing rally is BJP’s internal matter, and BJP does not believe to rely upon others' rally to rake up any issue," he said. Sharma announced that BJP’s proposed anti-drug awareness rally has been postponed considering the announcement of assembly elections in New Delhi,to be held on February 7.
“Because of the Delhi assembly polls, the drive has been postponed till further announcement…Since Delhi elections are very crucial and the duties of Punjab BJP leaders will be assigned for the poll campaign, the anti-drug awareness drive has been postponed as well,” said Sharma.
A senior BJP leader told The Pioneer that the drive would be launched sometime after February 10 — the day Delhi assembly poll results will be declared. “Shah will be busy in campaigning for the party in Delhi. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s Jan Jagran Yatra, to be started from January 23 Jan to February 2, will also be postponed as party’s youth wing will also be working in Delhi elections,” said the leader. At the same time, moving ahead with its drive against drugs, the Punjab Congress MlAs, led by Congress legislative Party leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar, would meet the President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday evening in the national capital.
“We would apprise the President of alarming situation which prevails in the state due to unchecked narcotics menace...We will seek dismissal of the SAD-BJP Government in the State,” he said. He alleged that the drug problem in Punjab had “flourished largely due to drug mafia's nexus” with powers-that-be in the State. “Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently expressed concern over drug issue in Punjab,” said Jakhar.
ClP leader claimed that the SAD was relentlessly trying to shift the blame on Modi government at the Centre on drug issue. “The fact remains that the SAD-BJP government in Punjab has miserably failed in checking smuggling of narcotics grown or manufactured in BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” he alleged.
Jakhar said that Punjab BJP leaders were also trying to shift responsibility for the alarming situation “for which they are equally responsible being coalition partner in the government”. “SAD leaders are trying to vitiate the environment by launching false, ill-motive propaganda against the paramilitary forces and the Centre on the drug issue. Drug menace has hurt social, administrative and economic structure of the State,” he said.