The political controversy over Punjab’s drug census has intensified, with BJP leader and former state party president Sunil Jakhar questioning the alleged expenditure of Rs 250 crore on the exercise and demanding that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government make its findings public.
The AAP government, however, has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the data collected through the exercise is being analysed and used by the concerned departments.
The government has also said the findings will be released at an appropriate time. The AAP government, however, has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the data collected through the exercise is being analysed and used by the concerned departments. He further alleged that the initiative was driven by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, rather than Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. He claimed a significant portion of the drug problem was linked to pharmaceutical substances and questioned whether the government was attempting to establish control over the supply chain. The BJP leader also flagged the possibility of a nexus involving drug traffickers and political and administrative elements. Rejecting Jakhar’s allegations, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused the BJP of politicising a sensitive issue and attempting to undermine the government’s anti-drug campaign.
He said he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a CBI and NIA probe into the alleged drug and gangster networks operating in Punjab. Taking a swipe at the BJP, he said the drug problem had also grown during the tenures of previous Congress and BJP governments, while the AAP government was making sustained efforts to eliminate the menace. Pannu said the information collected during the survey was being utilised by various government departments according to their requirements.
Jakhar also raised questions about the alleged role of pharmaceutical drugs in Punjab’s narcotics problem, referring to an earlier statement purportedly made by the Punjab DGP.
