Senior Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday strongly criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led State Government for its apparent failure to control the alarming rise in drug abuse within the State.
Bajwa expressed his concerns, stating, “Under the 18-month regime of AAP, Punjab has been on the verge of becoming a drug capital of the country.”
He cited a viral video depicting two young individuals, a man and a woman, injecting drugs on Santpura Road in Bathinda, noting that many such videos have surfaced since the AAP came to power. He emphasized that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has yet to take effective measures to combat the drug menace.
Bajwa further criticized the Chief Minister, alleging that he remains preoccupied with various showbiz activities and frequently spends taxpayers’ money on such endeavors. He highlighted the dire situation faced by the youth of Punjab due to drug abuse and questioned the efficacy of events like the tourism summit in rescuing the state from this crisis.
He also brought attention to disturbing incidents, such as the brutal murder of an anti-drug activist in Bathinda by drug peddlers, as well as the killing of a whistleblower against drug peddling in Jalandhar earlier this year. Additionally, he mentioned instances where Punjab Police were accused of harassing individuals involved in the fight against the drug trade.
Concluding, Bajwa said: “The ineffectiveness of the AAP government can be gauged from the fact that it cannot even protect the anti-drug activists who have been struggling on their own for the youth of Punjab.”