Chandigarh, March 13
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday criticised the Bhagwant Mann government and his party's National Convener Arvind Kejriwal over their claims of fighting drugs in Punjab.
He said on one hand CM Mann and his "rubber-stamp" government "are pretending to fight the drug menace in Punjab after Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) defeat in Delhi, while on the other they are failing to cooperate with Central agencies in drug-related investigations despite orders from the High Court".
BJP leader Chugh said in a statement that this double standard proves that AAP is only misleading the people of Punjab.
"They do not care about the youth who are losing their lives every day due to drugs," he added.
The BJP leader referred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court's rebuke to the Punjab government for its inaction.
"The court clearly stated that the Punjab government is not only obstructing the ongoing investigations under court orders but is also acting against the public interest."
BJP leader Chugh added that the High Court had remarked that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had sought information from the Punjab government regarding drug-related cases in December 2024, but even after several months the state government has failed to respond, leading to a halt in the investigation against the illegal drug trade.
He said the High Court has now given the Punjab government a 10-day deadline to provide the required information to Central agencies and allow the investigation to proceed.
The court had earlier directed the CBI, the NCB, and the police of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to coordinate and act against drug trafficking.
However, the Mann-led Punjab government's inaction remains the biggest obstacle in the fight against drugs.
BJP leader Chugh warned that Punjab's future "is at stake due to the rampant drug crisis, but the Aam Aadmi Party is playing politics even on this serious issue".
- IANS