Ludhiana: Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Friday blamed the Aam Aadmi Party govt for the drug menace in the state, alleging that “chitta” was being delivered to people’s doorsteps.Interacting with mediapersons in Ludhiana on the eighth day of the BJP’s Nasha Mukti Yatra, Dhillon said party leaders had met several families affected by drug abuse during the campaign.“Punjab, known as the land of five rivers, is today witnessing what can be described as a sixth river, the flow of drugs,” he said. Dhillon also linked the problem to a lack of industrial opportunities and economic challenges, which, he said, were making youngsters more vulnerable to drugs.Responding to questions on the timing of the campaign, coming just months ahead of the assembly elections, Dhillon denied that the yatra was aimed at deriving political mileage.“We waited for the state govt for four-and-a-half years to act. When it failed, the BJP decided to step in,” he said, adding that the party’s objective was to fight the drug menace rather than gain politically from the campaign.Dhillon also rejected the ruling AAP’s allegation that drugs were entering the country through Gujarat ports. “Drugs are being seized there, not supplied from there,” he said. He further claimed that with the movement of drugs from Pakistan largely brought under control, pharmaceutical drugs manufactured in factories in Himachal Pradesh were now finding their way into Punjab.Sharing an experience from the ongoing yatra, Dhillon said residents stopped the convoy at Bhucho Mandi and urged BJP leaders not to step back from what they described as a decisive battle against drugs.He said Punjab needed to unite against the menace and described the campaign as a “people’s movement” rather than a political exercise.Dhillon said the BJP was determined to work towards making Punjab drug-free and referred to what he described as the party’s record in tackling Naxalism in the country and gangsterism in Uttar Pradesh.He also claimed that women had approached BJP leaders during the yatra alleging pressure from family members and harassment by the police after they raised their voices against drugs.Dhillon said the BJP’s anti-drug campaign would continue and appealed to people to join efforts to tackle drug abuse across Punjab.
