Bajwa seeks Badal govt’s dismissal over drug issue
Tuesday, 16/12/2014
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KHEMKARAN: Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, while appreciating the serious concern expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the drug menace spreading its tentacles in the country, sought the dismissal of the Parkash Singh Badal government as a first step towards tackling this problem.
“Dismiss the Badal government and then order a CBI inquiry into this menace,” he said during the course of a public meeting organised by the Tarn Taran District Congress Committee (DCC) in this border town on Monday.
Reacting to the Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ on broadcast on All India Radio wherein he referred to the pleas made by hapless mothers in Punjab about this menace destroying families, Bajwa said Punjab was the only state where the names of certain ministers had surfaced in drug smuggling.
He regretted that no action had been taken against the ministers whose names have been linked to drugs, barring the resignation of one minister. The BJP which remained silent all these years, began speaking out only after the formation of the Modi government at the Centre, he pointed out.
Referring to the comments made by the PM on narco-terrorism and linking the drug money to terrorism, Bajwa claimed that what was happening in Punjab was a direct threat to the national security as it was the state government which was aiding and abetting drug smuggling.
In support of his claims, the PPCC chief referred to disclosures made by some of the arrested smugglers regarding their links with Akali leaders.
Bajwa chose to remind Modi that the enforcement directorate (ED) had in its possession some vital information on the role of certain political leaders involved in the drug trade in Punjab. However, the ED was waiting for a signal from its ‘political bosses’ as one of the persons to be summoned by the investigation agency is a powerful minister, he claimed.
Others who addressed the meeting included former minister Gurchet Singh Bhullar, DCC chief Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, Harminder Singh Gill, Gurwinder Singh Mamanke.
