PATIALA, Punjab—Drawing the attention of the Union Government on the “alarming situation” of the drug menace in the state, Patiala MP and leader of the Aam Adami Parliamentary Group Dharamvir Gandhi has urged the Centre to take immediate steps to check cross-border smuggling of drugs. In a statement, he said the Punjab Government had been blaming the Centre for the flourishing drug trade in the state.
He said after the recent Lok Sabha election, the state government had launched an anti-drug drive and arrested hundreds of youths, who were victims of the drug menace in Punjab. “This was no way to tackle this problem. Since this desperate attempt is being made in the aftermath of the election, I have every reason to doubt the sincerity and seriousness of the government to contain the problem,” said Dr Gandhi.
“Approaching this problem with a narrow framework of electoral gains or losses is not justified. This step of the government can never succeed. Unless the youth are given useful employment after a proper de-addiction drive, the problem is here to stay,” he said.
“In my opinion, it is in the public domain now as to how our state fell a victim to the conspiracy and evil designs of certain political forces in the 1980s and 1990s and suffered grave losses both in terms of human life and economic derailment. Both terrorism and war against it were foisted upon the people of Punjab by these political forces resulting in the death and misery of thousands of people,” he said.
The Patiala MP said: “During all these years of turmoil, our state got heavily indebted and is still paying huge instalments every year to the Centre. I urge the Central Government to write off all debts against Punjab and stop punishing the people of the state for no faults of theirs”.
