The drug demon has left Punjab’s mothers without their sons and sisters without brothers to tie Rakhi; BJP will turn the fight against drugs into a people’s movement : Tarun Chugh

From trafficking networks and supply chains to drug money and rehabilitation, BJP commits to five-point action for a Nasha Mukt Punjab

Hoshiarpur/Chandigarh 25 September ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : BJP National Office In-Charge and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh today met families affected by drug abuse in Hoshiarpur as part of the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab campaign and expressed deep concern over the devastating impact of drugs on Punjab’s families and youth. Chugh said that the pain visible in the eyes of mothers, sisters, widows and children is not the tragedy of individual families but the pain of Punjab. “There is anger in the eyes of the people and anguish in their hearts,” he said. He said mothers are losing their sons, sisters are left holding Rakhi with no brother left to tie it to, widows are losing their husbands and children are growing up without their parents. In some families, more than one child has been lost to drugs. “The shoulders that were supposed to become the support of ageing parents are today carrying the bodies of their own children,” Chugh said.

Chugh said the Punjab Government’s responsibility was to protect the state’s youth from the drug menace, but alleged that the Bhagwant Mann government had failed to dismantle the networks of drug traffickers and the supply chain that makes drugs available across the state. He said the government has failed to provide a clear and effective roadmap capable of producing results on the ground. Referring to the cases involving Mohanjeet Singh and Gulzar Singh, Chugh said that raising questions before the government cannot be treated as a crime. He said the allegations surrounding these cases must be properly investigated and accountability must be established wherever wrongdoing is found. Chugh also raised concerns over the wider law-and-order situation in Punjab, saying that citizens as well as police personnel are facing an increasingly difficult security environment. He said incidents involving gangsters, extortion networks and attacks on police establishments raise serious questions about the government’s ability to maintain law and order. He said Punjab cannot accept a situation where its young generation is destroyed by drugs. “Punjab is sitting on a volcano. If we do not save this generation today, the next generation will pay the price,” Chugh said.

Chugh outlined BJP’s five-point resolve for a Nasha Mukt Punjab. The first commitment is to dismantle the networks of drug traffickers bringing drugs into Punjab. The second is to break the entire drug supply chain so that drugs are no longer easily available in villages and towns. The third is to stop the flow of drug money and take action against illegal proceeds generated through the drug trade. The fourth is to ensure rehabilitation of children and youth trapped in addiction. The fifth is to bring social organisations, religious institutions, youth, mothers and citizens together and transform the fight against drugs into a people’s movement. He said BJP has fought major challenges including terrorism and Left-Wing Extremism with determination and would now fight with the same resolve to protect Punjab’s young generation from drugs. Chugh also criticised the Bhagwant Mann government, alleging that “the entire Punjab is suffering while the Bhagwant Mann government remains busy taking care of Arvind Kejriwal.” He said the government must move beyond advertisements and political claims and answer the families whose lives have been devastated by drugs.

Tributes were also paid to the deceased BJP worker who lost his life in the Mansa road accident while returning from the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra. BJP leaders and workers expressed their condolences to the bereaved family. On the occasion, former Union Minister Vijay Sampla, former State President Avinash Rai Khanna, Scheduled Caste Morcha President Sheetal Angural, District President Nitin Gupta, District In-Charge Sushil Sharma, State Secretary and Yatra In-Charge Rakesh Sharma, Yatra In-Charge Nipun Sharma, Ashwani Ohri, D.S. Bagi, Rajiv Mahajan, Vinod Parmar, Ramesh Thakur, Kaku Rewari, Rajan Sharma, Suraj Sharma, Pallavi Sharma, Pooja Vashisht, Meenu Sethi, A.S. Kang and Dr. Raman Kang, among other BJP leaders and workers, were present.