New Delhi/Chandigarh, July 25 (Harbans Singh)
In a powerful speech delivered today in Parliament, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, shed light on the dire impact of drug addiction on Punjab’s youth and the government’s failure to address this critical issue.
Opening his address with a heartfelt tribute to mothers, Warring stated, “Every mother carries her child in her womb for nine months, endures so much pain, and protects the child from the whole world. In return, she just wishes that her child should give her body a shoulder when she dies. But the sad thing is that in Punjab, our mothers are having to give a shoulder to their children. This drug pandemic is eating away our youth, and we are all unable to do anything about it.”
Raja Warring criticized the central government’s inadequate efforts and lack of budget allocation to combat the drug crisis. He asked, “Where is the progress of the country? This BJP government which claims to have made India a big economy, is not doing anything about the disease which is killing our future and destroying the nation. Nothing special was shown in the budget for the prevention of drugs. What future does India have without its youth?”
Drawing attention to the BSF jurisdiction expansion in Punjab, MP Warring explained, “On October 13, 2021, the jurisdiction of BSF was increased from 15 to 50 km, covering a large part of Punjab. Congress strongly opposed this move as a number of residential areas came under the 50 km jurisdiction. But what actually happened? Today, the drug menace has increased four folds than two years ago.”
The PPCC Chief didn’t hesitate to call out the central government’s empty promises, stating, “The Government of India talks big but does not work. Today, BJP has been in the central government for more than 10 years. In every election, they talk about ending drug addiction. This is not just a state matter; Punjab shares a 425 km border with Pakistan. A very big seizure of drugs happened just a few days ago on February 28, 2024. But where did this take place? In Gujarat where 3,300 kg of drugs valued at around 2,000 crores was seized. Even before this, drugs worth Rs 21,000 crores were seized from an Adani Port, but perhaps because of Adani ji’s name, the government remained silent. These are numbers of what was seized. What about the drugs which were not seized? Those are the drugs which finds their way into households in Punjab and destroys our youth and our families.”
He also highlighted the inconsistent statements of BJP leaders regarding drug control measures. “BJP minister Ravneet Bittu ji says that he will open NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) offices in every district of Punjab. Home Minister Amit Shah ji says in his election speech that we will eliminate drug addiction from Punjab. But how? Where is the provision in the budget to do the same? With no mention of Punjab in the union budget, how can we expect any help from the central government to save our youth?”
Warring further talked about a new menace affecting the lives of the youth. “If drugs were not enough, our youth is now being engulfed in the smoke by vapes and e-cigarettes. Children as young as thirteen are addicted to vaping with teachers in schools catching the substances from students. How are these banned products being sold so easily?’
Concluding his speech, Warring warned that the drug problem is not confined to Punjab but is spreading across the country. “This drug is not just eating Punjab like termites; it is spreading in the entire country. The government will have to be serious about this, and the first step for the same was to make provisions for eradication of drugs in the budget.”
