Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday targeted the Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi a day before his visit to Punjab to stage a sit-in protest on the issue of drugs in the State against the ruling SAD-BJP combine at Jalandhar.
Rahul is scheduled to lead a Congress protest in Jalandhar on Monday against the drug menace and “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state.
Taking on the young Gandhi scion, AAP MP from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann said that Rahul Gandhi has no moral right to stage a protest against the drug menace in Punjab as he and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier failed to take action to resolve the problem.
Mann accused Rahul of promoting tainted leaders and the former Prime Minister of keeping mum on the drug problem in the State in spite of former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi drawing his attention towards the issue.
“Manmohan Singh maintained a stony silence despite Qureshi informing him of the enormity of the drug menace in Punjab during 2012 assembly polls, while Capt Amarinder Singh chose to side with SAD minister Bikram Singh Majithia by opposing a CBI probe,” said Mann.
He added that Qureshi had written a two-page letter to the then Prime Minister “lamenting the staggering amount of drugs seized in the run-up to 2012 Punjab Assembly polls. Instead of taking stern action, Manmohan Singh chose to keep mum and the letter got buried under Government files”.
“Rahul must also explain the conduct of Congress’ Jalandhar MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and questioned over his links to SAD leader Chunni lal Gabba, who is a drug smuggler,” said AAP’s Punjab campaign committee chairman.
“Gabba, a Goraya-based businessman, is facing an ED probe in a drug trade linking him to international drug lord Jagdish Bhola,” he said.
Rahul rewarded Punjab Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa, “whom Capt Amarinder had accused of being a drug smuggler with terror links” with a Rajya Sabha seat instead of taking action against him, Mann alleged.
He pointed that in 2013, Capt Amarinder had written a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi accusing Bajwa of being a drug smuggler with terror links. “So, either Capt Amarinder is lying or Rahul is promoting tainted leaders in the party,” said Mann.
The comedian-turned-politician said: “With such glaring revelations, Rahul and his party colleagues stand exposed and have no moral right to stage a protest against the drug menace.”