Punjab Cong takes fight against drug menace to Badals' turf

The Congress today took the fight against the SAD-BJP government over the rising drug menace and poor law and order in Punjab to the Badals' turf with hundreds of party men staging a dharna at Subhash Chowk here.
The Congress workers from Bathinda region, led by state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa, staged a day-long dharna and marched to the administrative complex to submit a memorandum, addressed to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, to Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Prashar.
They were protesting against the state government over the drug menace, poor law and order situation and imposition of heavy taxes on urban residents.

Addressing his party men during the dharna, Bajwa said Punjab was named after five rivers but the Badal family has added a sixth river -- which was a stream of drugs flowing into the state.
He said the dharna was to draw the attention of the Chief Minister towards the plight of the people who were falling prey to anti-social activities of some senior SAD leaders.
The people have been facing serious threats from the drug menace and deteriorating law and order. The burden of heavy taxes on urban people has made their lives miserable, he said.

Bajwa, in the memorandum, said it was ironical that the CM had turned his back towards the sufferings of the people and encouraging criminal activities by keeping quite.

He said the drug menace had crippled the state and the drug mafias are operating under the patronage by certain ministers and police officers. "This is a deadly nexus of politicians-police and criminals which will leave a trail of destruction in the state," he said.
The recent arrest of a senior SAD leader on charges of manufacturing synthetic drugs and supplying them to foreign countries through drug lord Jagdish Bhola should be an eye opener. He appealed to the CM to order a probe into the racket by CBI or the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).