Man caught consuming drugs in Kalanaur has Congress links: Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the people of Punjab are fully supporting this success, and it has become a mass movement in Punjab.
The Punjab government's intensified 'War Against Drugs' campaign has scored another high-profile success with the arrest of a suspected drug user linked to political circles, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Saturday.
Addressing the media, Cheema said Gurkirat Singh, a resident of Kalanaur in Gurdaspur district, was arrested after being allegedly caught consuming drugs inside a crematorium. Cheema claimed that the accused has direct links to the Congress party, and photos of the arrested individual with various senior Congress leaders have also surfaced.
Drug abuse surged during Akali-BJP and Congress regimes
Cheema alleged that drug abuse had spiralled during the tenures of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance as well as the Congress governments. He claimed that many of those now being arrested for drug-related offences have direct or indirect links to these parties, adding, "These parties, which ruined Punjab, are now in a state of panic."
Highlighting the current crackdown, the minister said the anti-drug drive under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has created fear among smugglers, forcing them either to flee the state or face imprisonment. "Our campaign has become a moving caravan. The net is tightening every day," he said.
Govt also focused on rehabilitation
Cheema further said that while strict action is being taken against smugglers, the government is also focused on rehabilitation. "Anyone caught consuming drugs is being treated and cured," he said.
He asserted that the campaign has now turned into a mass movement, with widespread public support across Punjab. According to Cheema, millions of people are standing with the Aam Aadmi Party government as it pursues its stated goal of completely eradicating drugs from the state.