Days after Tarn Taran District Congress chief created a flutter by proposing opening of poppy vends in Punjab after the party came to power, Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday categorically stated that there was no question of doing so.
The former Chief Minister made it categorically clear that there was no question of allowing poppy husk vends in Punjab at any cost as suggested by some party leaders during a public rally in Khem Karan.
Party’s Tarn Taran district president Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, during Capt Amarinder’s rally at Amarkot on Tuesday, had suggested opening of vends to sell poppy husk and allow distillation of country liquor for personal consumption.
Capt Amarinder, reacting to the reports suggesting that the next Congress Government should open licenced poppy husk vends at the pattern of Rajasthan in Punjab also, said: “Our stand on the issue is unambiguous and categorically clear that no drugs will be allowed at any cost in Punjab.”
Referring to the treatment of the drug addicts, he said that this can and will be done only by way of medically and scientifically approved methods and nothing else.
In fact, he added, he had already initiated the process of setting up a state of art drug de-addiction centre in Amritsar for treatment of drug addicts.
Only a day before, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa Thursday issued a show cause notice to Bhullar for going against the party lines on the issue of drugs by “promising licenced poppy husk vends and allowing liquor distillation for personal consumption”.
Bhullar was asked to reply within seven days as to why action should not be taken against him.
Bajwa had made it clear that the line taken by Bhullar was against the very ethos of the Congress, and what Bhullar said at Amarkot could be the views of an individual from which the party completely dissociates itself.