Drug menace: Congress MLAs from Punjab to meet Prez tomorrow

A delegation of Congress MLAs from Punjab led by Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Sunil Jakhar will meet President Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi tomorrow to apprise him of the drug menace in the state.
Jakhar, who is CLP leader, said here today that "we will apprise the President of alarming situation which prevails in the state due to unchecked narcotics menace...We will seek dismissal of the SAD-BJP government in the State".
He alleged that the drug problem in Punjab had "flourished largely due to drug mafia's nexus" with powers that be in the State.
"Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently expressed concern over drug issue in Punjab," Jakhar said in a release here.

He claimed that SAD was relentlessly trying to shift the blame on Modi government at the Centre on drug issue.
"The fact remains that the SAD-BJP government in Punjab has miserably failed in checking smuggling of narcotics grown/ manufactured in BJP-ruled states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh..," he alleged.

Jakhar said Punjab BJP leaders were also trying to shift responsibility for the alarming situation, "for which they are equally responsible being coalition partner in the government".
"SAD leaders were trying to vitiate the environment by launching false, ill-motived propaganda against the para-military forces and Centre on the drug issue. Drug menace has hurt social, administrative and economic structure of the state," he said.

Notably, Congress MP and party's Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Amarinder Singh, yesterday announced that a campaign would be launched from Amritsar on January 22 to take on the ruling Akali-BJP alliance in the state, including on the drug issue.
BJP chief Shah is also set to launch his party's campaign against drugs in Amritsar on January 22.
The saffron party's ally and coalition partner in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal, had recently held dharnas at three venues close to the International Border on the issue.