VIKRAM DITYA SHARMA/FEROZEPORE
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had betrayed Punjabis by not releasing compensation to flood hit farmers till now, even as he asserted that the sharp increase in the drug menace in Punjab was due to the shelter being provided to the drug mafia by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators.
Addressing a party dharna on the twin issues of the failure of the AAP government to provide compensation to flood hit farmers and the increase in the drug menace, the SAD president said that the AAP government is directly responsible for turning large parts of this constituency into a lake in July and is now running away from its responsibility to compensate farmers for the destruction caused to their paddy crop. Asserting that the devastation caused in this constituency was not man made, Sukhbir said that this area was flooded when an AAP MP got all 38 gates of the Harike barrage opened in one go despite opposition from irrigation department engineers.
Stating that even as the paddy crop in the area had been destroyed farmers were in no position to sow the forthcoming wheat crop because either gullies have been made in fields or tonnes of sand have been deposited in them. “With farmers not being allowed to clear the fields of the sand by the State government, another crisis is in the offing”.
Sukhbir also cited how the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had seized drugs from 33 liquor vends after the chief minister refused to take action on information provided by the Governor on the sale of drugs from the vends. “The vends were however reopened within a month which is an indication of the control the drug mafia has over the AAP government”, he added.
While speaking on the issue of drug menace in the State, Sukhbir said it had increased because AAP legislators were extending protection to the traffickers. He said the hands of the police had been tied by the AAP legislators because they were receiving monthlies from the mafia kingpins.
Sukhbir also cited how the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had seized drugs from 33 liquor vends after the chief minister refused to take action on information provided by the Governor on the sale of drugs from the vends. “The vends were however reopened within a month which is an indication of the control the drug mafia has over the AAP government”, he added.
While addressing the congregation, Sukhbir also spoke on how Shiromani Akali Dal had been defamed on the issue of sacrilege and the Kotkapura police firing incident.
“Now it had come to light that two persons snatched rifles from Punjab Police personnel and that the bullet which hit a protester on the thigh had been fired at his back even as the police force was confronting the protesters from the other side”, said Sukhbir while adding that leaders like Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dhyan Singh Mand were being used to weaken the SAD. “Why they had not protested against repeated incidents of sacrilege in the recent past”, he further said.
While talking about the PGI Satellite Centre Sukhbir said that a special effort was made by him to get the PGI Satellite Centre approved from the centre, adding the land for the Centre had also been allocated by the erstwhile SAD government.
On this occasion, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, former cabinet minister, Joginder Singh Jindu Ex MLA, Vardev Singh Noni Mann, Rohit Vohra, Chamkaur Singh Tibbi, Pritam and others SAD leaders were present.
SEKHON ASK FOR SALE OF POPPY HUSK
During his address, former cabinet minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon said that the government should allow the sale of poppy husk in the state to curb the drug menace. “The use of poppy husk can control the usage of synthetic drugs in Punjab”, said Sekhon.