Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu to explain to Punjabis where are the five crore “missing” tablets of buprenorphine — a medicine used to treat narcotic addiction. At the same time, the party asked him why he was not resigning to let a fair probe into Rs 300 crore drug tablet scam if he was innocent?
“With issuing threats of filing a defamation suit against former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the Health Minister is trying to divert the attention from the main issue of diverting five crore buprenorphine tablets to private de-addiction centers as well as providing shelter to the accused by indulging in a cover-up operation,” said senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra.
“He should first explain to Punjabis why a huge quantity of a drug tablet was gone missing? Being a Minster, he is directly responsible for this scam. He should immediately resign and let the Enforcement Directorate (ED) complete its probe in a fair and transparent matter,” he said adding that neither running away from probe nor issuing defamation threats would help Sidhu.
Speaking about the gravity of the crime committed by the Health Minister, Chandumajra said that Sidhu was not only responsible for the death of thousands of addicts due to diversion of buprenorphine tablets, but also for creating new addicts as the drug if not given under medical supervision could result in addiction.
“The Minister has indulged in corrupt practices of pushing thousands of youth into addiction,” he said, adding that he should be immediately dismissed and booked under the NDPS Act.
Asking Sidhu why he had obstructed the Health Secretary from doing his duty who had issued 12 showcause notices to private de-addiction center with details of missing tablets, Chandumajra said that Sidhu had tried to protect the accused with overruling the secretary’s decisions in this very sensitive case.
“This proves that Sidhu was hand in glove with the officials responsible for missing of drug tablet,” he said adding that earlier Sidhu was infamous for running a land mafia in the region which was indulged illegal land purchasing and other property-related frauds.