Pb Minister Hits out at Parkash Singh Badal over Drug Issue
Senior Congress leader and Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today said had the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) acted responsibly on the drugs issue during its rule, the state would not have seen such "harrowing" days now.
Chandigarh, July 5 (PTI) Senior Congress leader and Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today said had the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) acted responsibly on the drugs issue during its rule, the state would not have seen such "harrowing" days now.
The minister was responding to a reported demand by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal about conducting dope test of MLAs and ministers after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced that as part of the anti-drug campaign, the employees would have to undergo dope test.
Hitting out at Badal, the cooperation minister reminded the Akalis that during their tenure, he, in December 2013, had demanded in the Assembly that all the MLAs must undergo dope test.
"But at that time, Badal kept mum so now he has no moral right to ask for dope test of MLAs," Randhawa was quoted as saying in a release.
Claiming that when the SAD was in power, he had challenged Badal on the floor of the House to take an oath on the drug issue at the Golden Temple, Randhawa alleged when in power, the Akali Dal speaks in a different tone but changes its stand when it goes out of power.
He accused the Akali Dal of being responsible for the "narco-terrorism" in Punjab, because it "protected drug lords" during its tenure.
Randhawa also demanded that Akali Dal patriarch should undergo dope test.
(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)