Close X
Sunday, October 6, 2024
ADVT 
India

Drug Issue Is Back, And Now Haunts Congress In Punjab

IANS, 05 Jul, 2018 01:44 PM
  • Drug Issue Is Back, And Now Haunts Congress In Punjab
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once caused a stir by claiming over 70 per cent Punjab's youth were addicted to drugs.
 
 
The party, which returned to power in March last year, had used every political trick to highlight the rampant drug abuse in the state during the campaign for the assembly polls. The issue has now returned to haunt its leaders.
 
 
With over 30 deaths linked to drug abuse being reported in June from different parts of Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is facing an onslaught from the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for his government's failure to curb the menace.
 
 
Before coming to power, Amarinder Singh had, in December 2015, publicly taken a religious pledge by holding a copy of the "Gutka Sahib", a Sikh holy book, and saying that if he came to power, he would wipe out the scourge of drugs from Punjab within four weeks.
 
 
His Congress government is now over 15 months old, and has clearly failed to contain the drug menace.
 
 
 
 
Faced with criticism and pressure from the opposition, Amarinder hurriedly called a special meeting of his cabinet on Monday to address the issue.
 
 
However, other than making statements and claims, and passing the buck to the central government by suggesting stronger laws against drug peddlers and smugglers, the Amarinder government has failed to do enough to contain the drug problem, say opposition leaders.
 
 
Be it heroin or "Chitta" (a white powder drug), other lifestyle chemical drugs and opium, the supply chain has not been broken in Punjab despite the Amarinder government's claim that there has been a crackdown on those dealing in drugs.
 
 
The Chief Minister has, however, gone on record to claim that thousands of people linked to the drugs trade had been arrested.
 
 
"The intensive action plan unfolded and executed by us during the last over a year has resulted in arrest of 18,977 drug peddlers and treatment of more than two lakh drug victims," Amarinder said this week.
 
 
 
 
In a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday, the Chief Minister pointed out that the existing Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, provides for death penalty for certain offences if these are committed for a second time.
 
 
"This means that a person can indulge in these nefarious activities and get away at least once, causing substantial damage to the youth and the society," Amarinder pointed out, adding that a harsher penalty for first-time offenders in drugs could be a deterrent to those indulging in this illegal activity. 
 
 
For the past over two decades, the unholy nexus of the drug peddlers and smugglers with police officials and politicians has been alleged but it has not been broken.
 
 
The Congress and AAP leaders used to accuse an Akali Dal minister of being involved in the drugs racket. The drug trade in Punjab has also been linked to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and other countries.
 
 
Leader of Opposition and AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira is not impressed by the statements being issued by the Amarinder government.
 
 
 
 
"The government is not doing anything concrete at the ground level. None of the so-called big fish in the drug trade have been arrested so far," Khaira pointed out.
 
 
The government started on a positive note last year by setting up a Special Task Force (STF) to deal with the drugs menace.
 
 
A year down the line, the STF finds its wings clipped and its chief, senior police officer Harpreet Singh Sidhu, is not being allowed to use his powers to get to the bottom of the drug trade.

MORE India ARTICLES

UP Govt Waives Farm Loans Worth Rs 36,000 Crore

UP Govt Waives Farm Loans Worth Rs 36,000 Crore
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday cleared a Rs 36,359-crore proposal allowing waiver of loans for marginal and small farmers of the state.

UP Govt Waives Farm Loans Worth Rs 36,000 Crore

Malala Yousafzai To Receive Canadian Citizenship, Address Parliament

Malala Yousafzai To Receive Canadian Citizenship, Address Parliament
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office says the presentation will take place April 12, when the 19-year-old Pakistani woman will also address Parliament.

Malala Yousafzai To Receive Canadian Citizenship, Address Parliament

How Logical Is It That Five-star Hotels Can’t Serve Liquor: Kirron Kher

BJP MP Kirron Kher today asked how logical it was that a hotel with a five-star rating could not serve liquor as she came out in support of hoteliers hit hard by a Supreme Court order banning the sale of liquor along highways.

How Logical Is It That Five-star Hotels Can’t Serve Liquor: Kirron Kher

Irresponsible Of Arvind Kejriwal To Question EVMs: Yogendra Yadav

Irresponsible Of Arvind Kejriwal To Question EVMs: Yogendra Yadav
Yogendra Yadav was expelled from AAP for questioning Arvind Kejriwal's style of functioning

Irresponsible Of Arvind Kejriwal To Question EVMs: Yogendra Yadav

Attacks Against Africans In India 'Xenophobic And Racial'

Attacks Against Africans In India 'Xenophobic And Racial'
In a strong reaction to attacks on African nationals, heads of African missions in India termed the incidents as "xenophobic and racial" and asserted that no known, sufficient and visible deterring measures have been taken by the government.

Attacks Against Africans In India 'Xenophobic And Racial'

21-Year-Old Indian Girl Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Minor

21-Year-Old Indian Girl Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Minor
A 21 year-old-girl was arrested under the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offence Act (POCSO) for staying with her minor lover at his house in Kottayam district of Kerala.

21-Year-Old Indian Girl Arrested For Sexually Assaulting Minor