- Congress leader Pilot lambasted governments over Punjab’s pervasive drug problem.
- Pilot alleged drugs from Pakistan, citing police-politician distribution nexus.
- He blamed AAP for worsening crisis, deteriorating state’s law-and-order.
Congress leader and Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the drug problem in Punjab, alleging that the supply of narcotics has become so widespread that “chitta” can be delivered to people’s homes faster than pizza or Coca-Cola.
“People in Punjab say that if you want to order pizza or a coke, it takes half an hour or 40 minutes but one can call and get ‘chitta’ home delivered faster,” Pilot was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Chitta is a colloquial term for heroin, particularly the form of the drug commonly associated with Punjab’s drug crisis. Pilot alleged that the situation reflected the scale of the narcotics trade in the state and questioned the role of both the state and central governments in tackling the problem.
‘Chemical Drugs Coming From Pakistan’
Pilot alleged that Punjab was facing an “unlimited supply” of chitta, with chemical drugs entering the state from neighbouring Pakistan.
Taking aim at the BJP, he questioned its promise to make Punjab drug-free, pointing out that the party has been in power at the Centre for 12 years.
“Funnily enough, the BJP, which is ruling from Delhi for the last 12 years, is saying ‘we will make Punjab ‘nasha-mukt’,” the Congress leader said.
Pilot also questioned the Centre’s handling of drug trafficking and asked what the Union Home Ministry had done to prevent the flow of narcotics.
“What has the home ministry been doing? … Rs 21,000 crore worth of cocaine was seized from Mundra Port in Gujarat. This was seized. So one can imagine how much drugs would have come in,” he said.
Pilot described the seizure at the international port as an indication of the scale of the problem, arguing that the quantity of drugs intercepted raised questions about how much narcotics might have entered the country undetected.
Pilot Alleges Police-Politician Nexus Behind Drug Distribution
The Congress leader also questioned how narcotics could move from Punjab’s borders into villages and neighbourhoods without the alleged involvement of influential networks.
“Once the drugs reach the Punjab border, how can they be distributed down to the village and mohallas without the consent of the mafia that operates between the police, the administration and the politicians, it is impossible,” he said.
Pilot’s remarks alleged a nexus involving the police, administration and politicians in the distribution of drugs. He argued that the scale of the problem pointed to failures in preventing narcotics from reaching local communities.
The allegations come amid continuing political criticism over Punjab’s drug problem and demands for stronger action against trafficking networks.
‘They Made It So Much Worse’: Pilot Targets AAP Government
Pilot accused the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government of worsening the drug situation in Punjab. He also took aim at the government’s earlier claims that it would eliminate the drug menace within two months.
“Forget getting rid of it. They made it so much worse now. It’s actually very disturbing to see visuals of addicts…there are also the zombie drugs, young boys and girls are becoming addicts. So many addiction centres have opened but no one is going there,” Pilot was quoted as saying.
ALSO READ: Akhilesh Yadav Alleges 19.2 Lakh Fake Voters In UP, Questions ECI’s SIR Data Ahead Of 2027 Polls
He expressed concern over the reported spread of drug addiction among young people and questioned the effectiveness of the measures being taken to address the problem.
Pilot’s criticism focused not only on the availability of narcotics but also on the visible effects of addiction and the functioning of treatment facilities in the state.
Pilot Flags Deteriorating Law And Order
The Congress leader also attacked the Mann government over the law-and-order situation in Punjab, a border state that has faced security challenges in the past.
Pilot claimed that police stations were not targeted even during the peak years of terrorism, but alleged that grenade attacks on police stations and shootings of police officers were now taking place.
He linked what he described as a “collapse” in law and order to “narco money”, suggesting that proceeds from the drug trade were contributing to the security concerns.
His remarks brought the drug crisis and law-and-order situation together as key issues in the political debate over the state’s governance.
AAP Dismisses Opposition Charges
The drug problem and law-and-order situation have been major points of criticism from opposition parties targeting the AAP government in Punjab.
The Mann-led dispensation, however, has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
Pilot’s remarks add to the political confrontation between the Congress, the AAP government in Punjab and the BJP-led government at the Centre over responsibility for tackling drug trafficking, addiction and security concerns in the state.
ALSO READ: UP Polls: Akhilesh Yadav Gets Shiv, Vishnu, Krishna As Five Shukla Brothers Join SP
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
