JALANDHAR: When drugs in Punjab are back as a major political issue and the opposition and scores of other Punjabis are trying to put the AAP government in the dock, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira's arrest in a 2015 NDPS case in which his name was included in late 2017, AAP appears to be trying to redirect the issue of drugs towards Congress ahead of parliament elections.
Although AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, when asked about Khaira's arrest, on Friday said the party was committed to the INDIA bloc and the alliance dharma, he also added that the government in Punjab was committed to end drug menace, the extent of which was unimaginable, and whosoever, big or small, was involved in it would not be spared.
AAP Punjab posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Punjab government's big action against drugs by arresting Sukhpal Khaira" and went on to cite "police charge-sheet" about the calls between Khaira and Gurdev Singh (who was arrested in 2015). On its Punjab Facebook page, the party also posted a video: "What people are saying on Sukhpal Khaira's arrest in a drug case".
Congress has been beaming heat in the AAP government on the drugs issue and has held a few "anti-drug" rallies in Punjab. It held another anti-drug rally in Bathinda on Friday in which the party leaders criticized the ruling party in the state for failing to control the drug menace which had increased its tentacles. SAD and BJP also have been trying to put AAP in the dock on the issue of drugs in Punjab.
Before the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, Kejriwal had promised to eliminate the state's drugs problems within three-four months of coming to power. However, several drug deaths have been reported from across Punjab and a few videos have also emerged showing drug addicts lying dead. A few videos were also shared by opposition leaders, including Khaira, alleging that these showed that people had gathered in certain areas for their drug doses.
In fact, drugs was a major electoral issue in Punjab even in the 2014 parliament election and a factor which helped AAP find a foothold in Punjab and gave it four MPs. It remained one of the major issues in the 2017 and the 2022 assembly elections. It is again one of the major issues.
IP Singh is Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India. He cov...
Read MoreIP Singh is Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India. He covers news in Jalandhar and neighbouring districts, and writes on politics, contemporary trends, Punjabi diaspora and heritage preservation. He specializes in deciphering religio-political peculiarities and complexities of Punjab. His hobbies include reading up on a variety of subjects.
Read Less