Taking his government’s anti-drugs campaign to Jalandhar on Saturday, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann continued to make big claims and announce plans to make the state drug-free. Earlier, he had addressed people at a ‘padyatra’ in Chandigarh and vowed to wipe away the menace of drugs from Punjab, which had also been a key claim of his party manifesto before 2022’s Punjab state legislative assembly elections.
The Jalandhar event was marked by a mass oath-taking ceremony by hundreds of members of the Village Defence Committee to ensure that they keep their respective areas drug-free. Likening his campaign to war preparation, Mann said his government had formulated a blueprint to eradicate the menace of drugs from the state. Accompanied by state AAP President AmanArora and LokSabha MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Mann asked village and ward security committees to take on the roles of ‘village guardians’ to help combat drug traffickers.
In Chandigarh earlier, Mann had likened his government’s anti-drug war to Punjab’s leadership that helped the country attain freedom in 1947. From bulldozing the homes of alleged drug peddlers to catching the ‘big fish’, Mann continued to extol his government’s efforts in curbing drug addiction. Asking the youth to report anyone who approached them with drugs, the CM said elaborate drug rehabilitation centres had also been proposed to help addicts recover and learn new skill-sets that will ensure their return to normalcy.
Touching upon the strife-ridden Punjab water issue, Mann said during his Jalandhar visit that unlike previous governments, his government will not allow Punjab’s surplus water to be ‘handed over silently’ to neighbouring states. Accusing the Centre of attempts to deprive Punjab of its water resources, Mann said he will not ‘shy from any sacrifice necessary to protect Punjab’s interests’. He also added that the decision to advance the paddy sowing season to June 1 was aimed at avoiding excess moisture in September and October.
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