Magnitude of drug problem far less in Punjab than several other states: Badal

Lopoke (Amritsar) : Slamming the entire opposition for defaming the hard working Punjabis by labeling them as drug addicts, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that magnitude of drug problem was much less than that in many other states of the country.
Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of Sangat Darshan program in Rajasansi Assembly segment here today, the Chief Minister said that forces inimical to state were hell bent upon branding the Punjabis as drug addicts just to present a wrong picture of the state before the country. He said that since time immemorial Punjab had been sword arm of country and its food bowl but ignoring this amass contribution of Punjabis a malicious propaganda has been unleashed by some political parties to label these patriotic son of soil as drug addicts.Badal said that the state government has already tightened noose around drug peddlers by putting them behind the bars and by opening a network of drug de addiction and rehabilitation centres in the state. Replying to another query, the Chief Minister said that he had urged the Union Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh to treat Indo-Pak border along with the state at par with that in Jammu-Kashmir to enhance vigil on it for checking cross border infiltration. He said that recent terror attacks in Pathankot and Dina Nagar has proved that Punjab was on radar of anti national forces. Mr. Badal said that though on its part the state government was establishing its second line of defence along with border but Government of India (GoI) must issue more funds to modernize the police force in the state. Terming that Aam Aadmi Party has no future in the state, the Badal said that it was just a ‘water bubble’ that would bust soon.