Forced on the backfoot on drugs issue, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday made another veiled attempt to shift blame on its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the States ruled by the saffron party were not ready to stop cultivation of narcotics though Punjab was willing to compensate them.
The party had attacked the Centre and the Border Security Force (BSF) earlier for its alleged failure to check the penetration of drugs into State from Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Monday, it demanded “complete sealing of border” by holding three sit-ins at Attari, Hussaniwala and Sadiqi check points near Indo-Pak border in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts respectively.
Except for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, virtually the entire SAD leadership participated in dharnas, including Ministers, MPs, MlAs, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, district unit presidents besides SGPC members.
Under attack over the drugs issue especially after the Enforcement Directorate summoned Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia in multi-crore drug racket case and the BJP too demanding his ouster, the Akali Dal alleged that there was a “big conspiracy” to malign the entire Punjabi community.
The allegations were made by SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal during party’s dharnas, staged near the International Border with Pakistan, against the drug menace in the State who expressed unhappiness over “attempts to project Punjab as a major drug producing and consuming State”.
The ruling SAD’s dharnas came ahead of BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to Amritsar to launch party’s anti-drug campaign in the State on January 22. It also assumes significance after the relation between the two coalition partners witnessed a new low.
The BJP is already blaming its ally, SAD, though not directly, for the drug menace in the State, and is also seeking resignation of its senior leaders, alleged to have links with the drug mafia.
Sukhbir, during his address, reiterated his stand that there was “no drug production” in Punjab. “Not even a gram of any drug is produced in Punjab and it is either coming from across the border or from neighbouring States,” he claimed.
He said that Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both BJP-ruled States, allow production of drug related plants. Punjab had a number of times requested these States to stop this in national interest, but to no avail, he added.
The SAD chief said that they have been informed that the said two States generate revenue through production of drugs. “We were told by Rajasthan that they annually earn Rs200 crore from this to which we even told them that Punjab will compensate them for the Rs200 crore loss,” Sukhbir said, adding that the two States have licenced opium vends. He mentioned that some States “involved in legal sale of drugs even mention it as income in their annual budgets, which is sad. There cannot be two set of laws for two States in the same country.”
“We act against drug smugglers and prevent flow of drugs to other States...Despite this, Punjab is described as hotbed of drugs….The number of those arrested in connection with drug trade and use is much more as compared with other States, including Goa,” he said.
He maintained that a “serious conspiracy has been hatched to defame Punjab on drug issue” and demanded that there was a need to ensure greater vigilance at the international border to stop inflow of drugs into Punjab.
He also demanded a complete ban on cultivation and sale of opium and poppy husk in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other States.
Rahul has no right to defame Punjab: Dy CM
Sukhbir Badal said that Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi had “no business tarnishing the image of Punjab by calling it a State of drug addicts”. He said that bthis was one of the reasons why the SAD was protesting in Attari.
Sukhbir, addressing the first of three protest rallies against drugs at Attari, said that the propaganda on labelling Punjab as an addicted state was hatched by the Congress. “The Congress is behind this whole propaganda. Punjab government is determined to fight against the menace of drugs and also against the malicious propaganda,” he said.
“We are trying to save the youth of our country. The image of Punjab should not be tarnished. Rather than calling us drug lords, Punjab should be appreciated. Congress called us drug addicts and Rahul Gandhi tarnished the image of Punjabis by calling them so. We are fighting drug addiction. We are holding this rally close to the border because nation should know where the drugs come from,” he said. Terming Punjab as a victim of narco-terrorism, Sukhbir said that the political parties should stop “politicizing” this issue.
SAD is holding the sit-in near the international borders “to create mass awareness about drugs” and to also pitch for “greater vigilance along the border with Pakistan” to stop flow of narcotics into the state. “Those opposing SAD dharnas are indirectly supporting Pak’s narco terror war against India,” he said.
DEMANDS FUNDS TO MODERNIsE borders’ SURVEllIANCE
The SAD president also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate special funds in the coming budget to modernise surveillance on the international border with Pakistan.
Sensors and CCTV cameras besides other equipment should be installed at the border to seal it completely, he said. He also gave a clarion call for banning cultivation and sale of opium and poppy husk in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
CONGress HATCHED CONSPIRACY TO DEFAME SAD: MAJITHIA
SAD general secretary and Revenue Minisrer Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that the entire conspiracy was hatched by the Congress and its state president Partap Singh Bajwa to defame the SAD. “Drug lord Bhola, who had made some allegations against me, was caught by the Punjab Police and not any central agency. The fact that both Bhola and Bajwa spoke the same language proved Bajwa's complicity in the conspiracy,” said Majithia.
Mincing no words, Majithia said that profession of Bajwa family was known to everyone and it was a fact that his father Satnam Singh Bajwa was referred as a drug smuggler at his bhog ceremony for former Congress leader Sundar Singh. Majithia went on to challenge Bajwa to subject himself for a dope test.
He also made it clear that Punjabis had full respect for the BSF and the army and that it was the Congress which was twisting things to vilify the entire Punjabi community.