The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday hit back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's 'Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra' rally in Jalandhar, demanding that he stop politically targeting Punjab and answer questions related to the drug networks operating in other parts of the country and their investigation. AAP claims that the seizure of 526 kg of methamphetamine and heroin worth more than Rs 3,000 crore during a joint operation of Gujarat ATS (ATS) and Indian Coast Guard on the same day has once again raised serious questions on the drug routes running through Gujarat.
In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party said, “Amit Shah had come to Punjab today to give a speech on drugs. At the same time, 526 kg of heroin and methamphetamine worth more than Rs 3,000 crore was seized in an operation in which Gujarat ATS (ATS) provided intelligence.
Big network outside the state
The party said that the Bhagwant Mann government has already broken the supply chain network of drug smugglers. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the pills and capsules of medicines found in Punjab come from outside the state, which are linked to Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other states. The AAP claims that “the old Pakistani route is no longer an excuse. Punjab Police has stopped cross-border supplies and is now tackling the interstate drug network.”
The party also said that BJP should clarify that when drugs are being seized on a large scale in other parts of the country, why its anti-drug campaign starts and ends in Punjab only. Why are drugs coming to Punjab from other states in the form of medicines? What action is being taken against interstate suppliers? What happened to the central investigation into the Rs 6,000 crore drug case?”
Stop avoiding uncomfortable questions
“Punjab is not asking for speeches. Punjab is demanding a collective national fight against drugs. Stop scapegoating Punjab. Stop shielding your political allies from inconvenient questions. And stop pretending that the drug problem begins and ends at Punjab's borders,” the AAP asserted.