Hoshiarpur, May 17 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday jointly urged the people to ensure the seeds of the drug menace are wiped out completely from the state.

Addressing the gathering after administering oath to people here, the Chief Minister said the drug problem plaguing the state is a grim legacy of previous governments that neglected Punjab’s welfare, leading to a sorry state of affairs.

Soliciting support and cooperation of people in the war against drugs, he said the scourge of drugs was a blot on the face of the state, and it took more than two years for the state government to chalk out a strategy for wiping out this curse.

Mann said subsequently, the supply line of drugs was snapped, big fish involved in this heinous crime were put behind bars, rehabilitation of the drug victims was ensured, and even the property of the drug smugglers was confiscated and destroyed.

The Chief Minister said the government has launched a war against drugs in the form of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh, the aim of which is to clean the state.

He solicited the support and cooperation of people in this war against drugs to transform it into a mass movement. As the village has declared itself drug-free after giving full support to the police in the same manner, it must be replicated in other parts of the state.

The Chief Minister said that if Punjabis have made a firm resolve to make the state drug-free, then no one can stop them from this noble cause.

Taking a sharp dig at leaders of the traditional parties, the Chief Minister said those who installed gold taps in their bathrooms and monopolised canal waters for personal farms can never understand the struggles of ordinary citizens.

Striking an emotional chord with Hoshiarpur, the Chief Minister praised the district for its high literacy rate and historical significance, noting that the first post-independence Panjab University was established here.

He also lauded a local village for earning the distinction of being a drug-free zone, showcasing the collective will of its residents.

Meanwhile, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the drug problem in Punjab aggravated as the previous regimes were hand in glove with the drug smugglers.

Expressing concern over the plight of affected families, he said the emotional distress shared by the people highlights the long-standing neglect of this crisis by successive governments.

He said the neglect was but obvious as this heinous crime flexed its muscles under the previous regimes. Kejriwal said the previous regimes not only patronised the drug dealers but they themselves carried out the business in their government vehicles.

He said the war against drugs will be taken to ground level and interactions will be held in all the around 13,000 villages of the state. He said that in order to channelise the unbounded energy of the youth in a positive manner, the government will construct stadiums in every village of the state.

–IANS

vg/dan