Chandigarh: Tearing into the ranks of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the senior congress leader and the Cooperation Minister, Punjab, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today thundered that had the akalis acted responsibly on the drugs issue during their tenure, the state wouldn’t have seen such harrowing days today.
The minister was responding to a demand by the ex-Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal about conducting dope test of MLAs and the ministers after the Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh announced that as part of the anti-drug campaign the government employees would have to undergo dope test.
Attacking the ex-Chief Minister, Randhawa reminded the akalis that during the tenure of akalis in December, 2013 he (Randhawa) had demanded in Vidhan Sabha 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. Divulging further, Randhawa said that at that time he had challenged Parkash Singh Badal on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha to take an oath on the drugs issue at Sri Durbar Sahib. He said that when in power the akali dal speaks a different tone but when changes its tone drastically when goes out of power. Castigating akalis further, Randhawa said that akali dal is totally responsible for the narco-terrorism in Punjab because it protected patronage to drug lords in its tenure which caused this menace to spread its tentacles.
Raising the demand to conduct dope test on the akali dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal and narco test of Bikram Singh Majithia, Randhawa outlined that Captain Amarinder Singh led government is committed to breaking the backbone of the drug menace and taking numerous steps to ensure its eradication. He also said that it is owing to the incompetence and the irresponsibility of the akalis that today Punjab is passing through drug crisis of a large magnitude and the akalis have no right to derive political mileage out of this.