Chandigarh, October 29
Former Punjab BJP State President Ashwani Sharma on Thursday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for failing to fulfil its promise of eradicating drugs within three months of coming to power, saying it could not escape accountability by shifting the blame onto others after nearly five years in office.
In a statement issued from the party office in Chandigarh, Sharma questioned why the Bhagwant Mann-led government is withholding the findings of a drug survey reportedly conducted at a cost of ₹250 crore. He said the people of Punjab deserved to know what the survey had revealed about the state’s drug problem and why the government was reluctant to make the report public. He also accused Finance Minister Harpal Cheema of trying to take credit for the government’s performance by citing figures published in newspaper reports rather than releasing the findings of their own survey.
Sharma said the AAP government must provide a clear account of its actions against drug trafficking. He demanded that it disclose how many major drug traffickers had been convicted by courts during its nearly five-year tenure and how many people struggling with drug addiction had received effective rehabilitation.
Sharma further questioned the delay in implementing the PIT-NDPS Act and called on the state government to explain the reasons behind it. Instead of targeting the BJP, Sharma said, the AAP government should focus on answering questions about its own record and take responsibility for its failures in tackling Punjab’s drug crisis.