New Delhi: Congress today took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for voicing concern over drug addiction and dared him to withdraw support from the alliance government with Akali Dal in Punjab over the “involvement” of state ministers in drug peddling.
“Prime Minister Modi was simply trying to preach the youth without promising any concrete action. But we were surprised over the Prime Minister's remarks. The state, where drug addiction is most rampant is Punjab ruled by BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal,” party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
He also claimed that those arrested in the drug peddling case had given names of three persons including of “a very senior minister” and had said that they were “kingpins”.
“One DSP arrested in a case had said three ministers of the the BJP-SAD government were involved in it. Drugs are peddled into Punjab from across the border, Pakistan,” Ahmed said.
He said that Modi did not mention the steps, his government will take to check the menace and arrest those behind it or what action his government will take against the ministers, whose names surfaced.
“Instead of taking action against his government (in Punjab), instead of withdrawing support from the SAD, instead of specifying the measures to check the menace, Prime Minister Modi was only trying to preach the youth without promising any concrete action “...The Prime Minister should act and ask his party to withdraw support from SAD government, which is responsible for the drug menace in Punjab,” Ahmed said.
Voicing concern over the “devastating” drug addiction menace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in his third ‘Mann Ki Baat' programme on radio yesterday said society as well as the government will have to work together to fight this problem and that a helpline would be set up soon to assist those seeking solutions.
When pointed out that senior Congress leader from Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh had expressed certain reservations against the retired DSP's statement who himself was an accused, Ahmed said that Singh had made that statement six months back and has said nothing of that sort so far after that.
“This is the party's stand,” he said adding that Congress has chalked out a long term programme against drug peddling. The party spokesperson also attacked the Centre on the issue of petrol price.
He claimed that when international prices of crude oil was Rs 6321 per barrel in 2011, petrol sold at Rs 50.62 per litre, while it is now selling at Rs 63.12 per litre when the prices of crude are down by Rs 3915.
“We demand that the government should pass on the benefit of fall in crude oil prices to people. In our estimate the price of petrol at current rate should be between Rs 31 and Rs 32,” Ahmed said.
