New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Dubbing Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann a "master" of false promises, BJP National Spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Thursday demanded the AAP government in Punjab issue a white paper on the steps taken to eradicate the drug menace in Punjab.

The chief minister's assertion in his Independence Day speech that Punjab will be made a drug-free state by next Independence Day clearly exposes his "hollow claims", Shergill said.

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He said that before coming to power, Mann had promised to end the drug menace within three months.

The Mann government will complete one-year-and-a-half in office next month, but the curse of drugs in Punjab has acquired alarming proportions, Shergill said in a statement.

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"It is shameful that the CM still needs one more year to eradicate the drug menace. I would like to ask Mann what his government was doing till now," he questioned.

Shergill alleged that the government's non-seriousness in tackling the drug menace could well be gauged from the fact that even after so much time in power, the CM has nothing but to say but that "a blueprint for a crusade against drugs is ready".

"The magnitude of the problem and grimness of the situation is evident from the fact that almost every second day, there are news reports of ‘drug overdose' death from one or the other district of the state," he said.

"Where is the promised Badlaav (Change) by the AAP Government," he asked.

Shergill further said that with the AAP government failing to take any tangible action, drugs, particularly 'Chitta; are proving to be disastrous for the state.

"Notably, on December 6, 2022, even the Apex Court had pulled up the Punjab government on failure to tackle drug trafficking. Further, on August 11, 2023, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had also expressed its concern on the rise in drug trafficking and consumption in Punjab," Shergill said.

Shergill also expressed serious concerns over children falling prey to drugs.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)