Punjab to be drug-free within one month: Arvind Kejriwal

MEHATPUR (JALANDHAR): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will make Punjab drug-free within one month if it comes to power in the next year's assembly polls in the state, Arvind Kejriwal today said.

Speaking on the sixth day of his 11-day tour of the state here, he alleged that Akalis had "ruined" Punjab by making it a "hub" of drugs and AAP would take it a challenge to curb the menace within one month of formation of its government.

"So far more than 40 lakh youth of Punjab are trapped in the drug network, spread by Akalis and after formation of government in Punjab, AAP will break the supply chain of drugs within one month and drug-addicted youth would be rehabilitated by opening rehabilitation centres at war level within six months and giving them employment," Kejriwal said.

Delhi Chief Minister said Congress is giving "false hopes" to the people of Punjab by claiming that it would fight against the drugs mence.

"Manmohan Singh government was in Centre for 10 years with simultaneous rule of Badals in Punjab, but Congress never acted against Cabinet Minister Bikram Majithia, who has been operating multi-crore drug racket in Punjab," he alleged.

In fact, Amarinder Singh opposed the CBI probe, which was being demanded against Majithia by the Congress, Kejriwal claimed.

"Both Badals and Amarinder have ruined Punjab during last 15 years and now the time is ripe to get rid of them for which people were waiting impatiently," he said.

As Akalis have already smelled their "humiliating defeat" in the forthcoming assembly polls, they have allegedly colluded with Amarinder and "are contesting Punjab assembly polls jointly," he alleged.

Similarly, they have also joined hands to wave black flags at him (Kejriwal), otherwise, "I have never seen Akalis showing black flags to Congress leaders or vice versa," he claimed.

Alleging growing cases of "atrocities" on Dalits in the state, he said AAP government would constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to re-open and re-investigate such cases to punish those found guilty.

SAD-BJP government, which claimed to be a 'Panthic' has failed to nab culprits of series of sacrilege incidents in the state, Kejriwal said.

"Sometimes I suspect, how can the culprits of Bargari sacrilege incident could have been gone scot-free, if Badals were not behind such incidents," he said in his 'Punjab Inquilab' rally.

"Once AAP government is formed in Punjab, we will nab and put all culprits, who have desecrated religious Granths, behind bars", the Delhi CM said.

"I suspect Badals wanted to create communal tension in Punjab through sacrileges incidents to divert attention of people from their failure on all fronts," Kejriwal said.

He alleged that Badals have "squeezed" Punjab to their fullest capacity to mint money.

"Badals during the last 10 years of misrule have amassed huge money due to their control on almost all businesses including transport, cable, mining, liquor etc.," he said.

The party's national convener also promised that AAP government would ensure free treatment of cancer in the state.

Even the standard of government schools would be upgraded to match the standard of private ones, so that wards of poor could be imparted quality education, he said.

Taking a dig at PM Narendra Modi's visit to Bathinda yesterday, Kejriwal said "Modi failed to announced any major project or package for Punjab, whereas in Bihar before election, he announced a multi-crore package."

Delhi Chief Minister also made a visit to Chak Kalan village to pay obeisance to Bhagwan Valmiki.