Nabha (Patiala), May 25 (IANS) Amid the presence of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday called upon the people to come forward and join the crusade against drugs and corruption to make it a mass movement.

Addressing the gathering at a function organised by the Aggarwal Sabha here, the Chief Minister said the government has embarked on a war against the menace of drugs and corruption, adding this drive can be successful only with the proactive support and cooperation of the people.

He said this is the fight for the coming generations and cannot be won without the support of the common man.

CM Mann exhorted the people to extend wholehearted support for this cause so that Punjab can be made a progressive and frontrunner state in the country.

The Chief Minister said the war against drugs has to be transformed into a mass movement for which people should work hard.

He said it is pivotal to make Punjab a drug-free state, adding, “It is the fight for the coming generations and it is the moral duty of everyone to support it.”

CM Mann said that this fight will continue till the curse of drugs is not wiped out. The Chief Minister said the bulldozer drive to demolish properties of drug smugglers will be continued till a logical conclusion is reached.

He said the action is being taken as per the law of the land and it is aimed at ensuring that the drug trade is dealt a fatal blow.

CM Mann said this action will be further intensified so as to ensure that the drug is completely wiped out from the state. The Chief Minister said he would continue to fight for safeguarding the interests of Punjab till his last breath.

CM Mann said he raised the issues of water, the Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL), high-handedness of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Chandigarh and others before Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the meeting of NITI Aayog held in New Delhi on Saturday.

He said that as custodian of the interests of three crore people of Punjab, it is his moral duty and he will always do that.

In his address, AAP’s national Convener Kejriwal said the previous regimes not only patronised the drug dealers but they themselves carried out the business in their government vehicles.

However, he said the state government is acting strictly against the drug menace and it will not allow its youth to fall prey to this menace.

He said now villagers are getting drug-free as an anti-drug campaign has been embarked on in the state, and every village is being covered under the ambitious programme.

–IANS

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