Samana/Jagraon, Sep 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Brajesh Pathak stated on Sunday that Punjab must implement the Uttar Pradesh model to combat drug smugglers effectively.
Pathak highlighted the actions taken by the government led by Yogi Adityanath against gangsters and organised crime through initiatives like the Gangster Act, property seizures, and other legal measures.
“Today, gangsters tremble there. Now, Punjab also needs a government that will take similarly stringent action against drug smugglers,” Pathak said while addressing a gathering in Samana during BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.’
Pathak criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal for their handling of drug issues in Punjab, stating that young people are losing their lives to drugs, and families are being destroyed as a consequence.
Pathak stressed the importance of identifying drug networks, dismantling supply chains, seizing drug-related profits, and rehabilitating victims of drug abuse.
He accused the Punjab government of making numerous claims about its commitment to tackling drugs, yet the situation on the ground remains alarming.
According to Pathak, the Mann administration has “failed” to take effective action against the drug network, and he called on Kejriwal to share in that responsibility.
At a rally in Kaunke Kalan village in Jagraon, Union Minister of State Ajay Tamta also criticised the AAP government, claiming it has brought ruin to Punjab. He alleged that drugs are being sold in the state with the support of the AAP government, which has failed to control drug trafficking effectively.
Tamta also claimed that drugs are readily available in every village, street, and neighbourhood.
He reminded the audience that during the 2022 Assembly elections, Kejriwal had promised the people of Punjab that drugs would be eradicated within three months of the AAP taking office. However, despite setting deadlines six times, drugs have not been eliminated from Punjab, he claimed.
Instead, he alleged, drug sales continue unabated in the open, causing significant harm to the youth of the drug-affected state.
The Union minister expressed deep sympathy for families who have lost loved ones to drug abuse, stating that their pain is profoundly disturbing.
He affirmed that the BJP is committed to addressing the drug crisis in Punjab and will persist in its efforts until the state is free from the drug menace. PTI CHS MPL
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