Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to raise the issue of drug menace prevalent in the State with the Prime Minister.
The State party chief Kamal Sharma on Sunday said that the party would lead a delegation of the State BJP leaders to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The announcement came on the day when Modi, in his radio show Mann ki Baat, has declared that the next episode of his address to the nation via All India Radio would focus on the drug menace.
BJP, which has already raised a banner of revolt against its alliance partner — Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) — for the alleged involvement of its leaders in the drug trade, has asked the Punjab Government to “take firm steps to control the drug menace from the State and show more commitment to the issue”.
State party president has, in fact, asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to “show political will power to catch the bigwigs involved in drug menace”.
“Even as the State Government has initiated a campaign against the drugs, it needs to ensure that its momentum should not decline and the State Government must take strict action against every individual what if he’s from any political party,” said Sharma in his official statement.
Already, the BJP is pressurising the Chief Minister to ask his party’s leader Avinash Chander to put in his papers from the post of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS). More to the point, the party had indicated at the “possible political patronage” to the drug mafia in the State that resulted in the SAD-BJP alliance’s loss of seven parliamentary seats in Punjab in 2014.
Drug menace was an issue used by the rival political parties in an attempt to corner the ruling SAD-BJP combine during 2014 general elections. In fact, the separate review exercises, conducted by both the SAD and the BJP, have outlined the damage the drug issue had done to the ruling regime in 2014 general elections.
SAD leader and Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia was the focus of Congress’ attack as he was named by the arrested drug lord Bhola in the multi-crore drug case. Even as Majithia continues to be in power, another Cabinet Minister, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, resigned following his son’s name was cropped up during investigations.
“The Chief Minister should show political will power to catch the bigwigs involved in drug menace,” said Sharma.
He said: “Our Government needs to adopt a policy of zero tolerance against the drugs and come what may, we should put in our all strength to launch a decisive war against this menace that has spoiled our future generations.”
“Though drugs are a nationwide problem but Punjab is hit the most because of its bordering location. Our State is becoming a hub for carrying out drug business for many international drug suppliers,” he said.