Bhagwant Mann 'drinking and driving' Punjab: Akali MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday tore into the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government over the issue of drug addiction, alleging that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was "drinking and driving" the state.

Initiating a discussion under the Calling Attention Motion in the Lok Sabha on the problem of drug abuse in the country and steps taken by the government, she launched a scathing attack on the Punjab government.

Focussing on the law and order situation in the state, Harsimrat Badal, the lawmaker from Bathinda and wife of party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, while alluding to Mann's reported drinking habits, said that if the Chief Minister is like this, then the condition of the state can be well imagined.

She said that there are signboards on roads that caution against drunk driving, but the Punjab Chief Minister is "drinking and driving" the state.

Harsimrat Badal, whose speech was mainly centered on attacking the Punjab government, said that even the Supreme Court has said that menace of liquor and drugs is damaging Punjab. The youth of Punjab is being destroyed due to excess use of drugs and this menace is now gradually spreading to other parts of the country like Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, she said.

Referring to a huge stock of drugs caught in Gujarat recently, she said that narcotics terrorism is going on in the entire country.

Congress MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla, who had initiated the motion along with Harsimrat Badal, while speaking on the issue said that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah - who was present in the House - should ensure that machines are installed at airports and on frontiers to stop arrival of drugs in the country.

Aujla said that policing at the district level should be enhanced to check the movement of narcotics.

He said that the 'golden crescent' of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan are the main source of drugs and there are millions of consumers in India. "Instead of blaming each other if we work together on a concrete policy, only then we would be able to move forward towards curbing this menace," he said.

Aujla also said that it should ensured by the government that children and youth are protected from this menace, as it has been found that those between the age group of 15 to 23 years are involved in drug abuse. School children should be educated about this menace, he added.

Amit Shah is expected to reply to the discussion in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.