HM Shah's Punjab visit a blow to drug mafia, says BJP

Chandigarh, Oct 20 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday described Union Home Minister, Amit Shah's visit to Punjab as a significant step towards strengthening the state's security, restoring peace and ending the drug menace and what it termed as "mafia raj". 

BJP Rajya Sabha member Tarun Chugh said HM Shah's visit was aimed at standing with families who had lost their loved ones while fighting gangsters and drug addiction, and at addressing the atmosphere of fear and insecurity prevailing in the state.

"Amit Shah's visit today is a blow to the mafia bosses. It is aimed at meeting the mothers, sisters and fathers who have lost their sons, children and husbands while fighting gangsters and drugs to save other people's children from addiction. There is a deeply tragic atmosphere and a sense of fear in Punjab. Today's visit aims to pull Punjab out of this atmosphere of fear, gangster rule and mafia influence," Chugh said.

"The visit has only just begun, and those who until yesterday claimed that these deaths were the result of personal rivalries, and whose Finance Minister, Cheema, had defended the accused, are now themselves speaking about handing the cases over to the CBI," he said.

Demanding an impartial investigation into the roots of organised crime in Punjab, Chugh alleged that the network extended from luxurious residences in Chandigarh to 'studios' allegedly operating from within the state's prisons.

He also accused those involved of glorifying criminals by arranging interviews with them from inside jails, arguing that such incidents raised serious questions about the protection allegedly being provided to gangsters and their influence over the system.

Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also criticised the Punjab government, claiming that pressure from the Centre had forced it to order a CBI enquiry. He said the investigation should lead to accountability and justice for the affected families.

"Now, when he saw that pressure from the Central Government had increased, he had to order a CBI enquiry within an hour. It will not stop at a CBI enquiry; justice will be delivered. As the Union Home Minister said, justice will be delivered to the Jhota family," he said.

"Action will also be taken against the drug traffickers who, allegedly under the patronage of Bhagwant Mann and Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, have been involved in selling drugs in Punjab in exchange for money," Sirsa alleged.

He further asserted that the BJP was committed to eliminating drug trafficking in Punjab and alleged that public anger over the issue had grown against the state government's leadership.

"The Home Minister has clearly stated that the BJP government will work to make Punjab drug-free. The people of Punjab have clearly stated that the corrupt DGP Gaurav Yadav and CM Mann will have to resign," he added.

BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha also linked HM Shah's visit to the party's stated resolve to eliminate drug trafficking and the criminal networks associated with it across the country.

"Along with the 'Ravan Dahan' (burning of the effigy of Ravan) today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved that the mafia of drug traffickers will also be eradicated from the entire country. Today, Home Minister Shah is in Punjab, meeting with families who have suffered, families whose children have, in the last few months, lost their lives while standing up against the drug mafia. Under the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, the havoc wreaked by the drug mafia is evident across the entire state," Sinha alleged.

HM Shah arrived in Punjab on Tuesday to meet the families of three individuals whose deaths have drawn attention to the state's drug menace.

--IANS

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