Deliver results on drugs crisis: Randhawa to AAP govt

Chandigarh: Former deputy chief minister of Punjab and MP from Gurdaspur, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, questioned chief minister Bhagwant Mann's claims of arresting over 90,000 drug traffickers under the ‘War Against Drugs' campaign. He said the Aam Aadmi Party has been praising itself and asked that if so many traffickers have indeed been caught, why the number of drug-related deaths in Punjab has not decreased.He said the government must clarify how many of those arrested are actual traffickers and how many are drug users. The truth, he claimed, is that many of those arrested are themselves victims of addiction. He urged the government to avoid such claims, stating that they defame Punjab nationally. Instead, he said, the government should focus on rehabilitation and treatment of drug victims so they can be reintegrated into mainstream society.Randhawa said the Congress party has always fought against drug trafficking and will continue to do so. However, he added, it will not allow Punjab to be defamed over the drug issue. He emphasised the need to expose the alleged manipulation of statistics.