Chandigarh: Leader of the opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Monday slammed both the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab govt and the BJP-led Centre for allegedly turning Punjab’s drug crisis into a political blame game instead of dismantling the drug supply chain.Reacting to chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement, Bajwa said both the state and central govts were trying to evade accountability by blaming each other.“Bhagwant Mann cannot wash his hands of responsibility by talking about cross-border (smuggling networks), the BSF and Mundra Port. At the same time, the BJP cannot absolve itself by blaming Punjab while the international border, ports and the national drug-trafficking network fall within areas where the Union govt has a critical responsibility. Punjab’s youth need action, not a Mann-Modi blame game,” Bajwa said.He said Mann’s claim of thousands of arrests and FIRs must be judged against the ground reality. “If govt has truly won its so-called war on drugs, why is chitta (heroin) still so easily available? How many top-level kingpins have been convicted? How much drug money has been seized? How many political and financial networks supporting the mafia have been dismantled?” the LoP asked.Bajwa said the tragic case of Gulzar Singh in Sangrur should shame both the AAP and the BJP. Gulzar had publicly raised the issue of the easy availability of drugs and subsequently died after consuming poison. The circumstances surrounding his death and allegations of harassment require a thorough and impartial investigation. CM Mann should stop protecting his blue-eyed boy Harpal Cheema, who was named by Gulzar in his statement before his death.The Congress functionary demanded a coordinated Centre-state strategy targeting the entire narcotics chain from cross-border and port-based trafficking to distribution, financial networks and political protection inside Punjab.“Stop the blame game. Mann and (PM Narendra) Modi must decide whether they want to fight the drug mafia or fight each other for political headlines. Punjab’s children cannot be sacrificed for their politics,” Bajwa said.
