Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday hit back at Union home minister Amit Shah over his criticism of the AAP govt on the drug menace, saying the responsibility to stop cross-border smuggling lay with the Centre.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit, Mann said border management was under the Union home ministry.“Regarding the border, who is responsible for the arrangements? It is the Centre. Within 50 km of the border, the BSF works with the Punjab Police. If drugs are coming through drones, it means he is revealing his own failure,” Mann said.He also pointed to large drug seizures at Mundra port in Gujarat, saying narcotics entering through shipping routes were being caught there. “So it is hard to understand whether he was pointing out his own failure or taunting us,” the CM said.Taking a swipe at visiting leaders, Mann said, “Whoever comes from Delhi criticises and leaves. Even Rahul Gandhi came, criticised the Congress and left.”He also mocked Punjab BJP leaders for seeking Shah’s intervention, asking whether the Union home minister was from “Kotfatta or Shahkot”.Responding to criticism over the MSP promise, Mann said it was the Centre’s responsibility to provide a legal guarantee for MSP. “We can give production costs, but MSP has to be guaranteed by the Centre,” he said, alleging that the Centre’s proposed trade agreement with the US could hurt farmers’ interests.The CM also blamed the Centre’s foreign policy for the ongoing oil and LPG crisis, saying preparations should have been made earlier if tensions in West Asia were expected.He said directions had been issued to deputy commissioners across Punjab to ensure there was no shortage of essential goods. Mann warned of strict action against hoarding and said the matter had also been raised with the Union govt to ease the situation.
