Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday questioned his party government in the State on the ‘inaction’ against those involved in drug trafficking. And the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), at its legislative party meeting held here, accused Mr. Sidhu and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of running away from public issues.
Mr. Sidhu, in a statement, said numerous tormented mothers who had lost their children due to the drug menace spread across the State by notorious drug mafia and people were waiting for the report of the Special Task Force (STF) surrounding the drugs trade. In February 2018, the STF filed a status report in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Later, the government filed before the court an opinion-cum-status report, and the matter is still in the court.
Drug smugglers’ extradition
Questioning the government’s ‘inaction’, Mr. Sidhu said that despite the court’s directions, nothing had done nothing to extradite the 13 drug smugglers back to India, who peddled drugs into Punjab and smuggled drugs to some countries.
Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema demanded that the one-day Assembly session, dedicated to the 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur on September 3, be extended for at least 15 days so that all the issues concerning people, including the agricultural crisis, expensive electricity and the mafia, can be discussed in the House.
‘No single achievement’
“The Congress’s fear that the shortcomings and failures of the government would not make headlines during this pre-election session as today even after four and a half years, the Captain government does not have a single constructive achievement to tell people which has benefited the people and the State,” he said.
Taking a dig at Mr. Sidhu, he stated that if the ruling Congress president could not ensure an extesion of the term of the coming Assembly session, then by what conscience was he still sitting in the ruling party.
AAP MLA Aman Arora said that he had brought a private member’s bill to cancel the power purchase agreements and now it would be seen whether Mr. Sidhu and his fellow MLAs supported this pro-people Bill or run away from it.
“If Sidhu sincerely desires, the Bill to cancel the power agreements could be passed in the Assembly as he has the support of more than 50 Congress MLAs, and with the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, there would be a majority in the House,” he added.
