Confiscate assets of politicians involved in drug trade: Congress

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly Sunil Jakhar on Sunday asked chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to introduce a state legislation to confiscate and liquidate assets created out of 'dirty money' of drug peddling and spare no one, including politicians, for patronising and shielding such elements.

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly Sunil Jakhar on Sunday asked chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to introduce a state legislation to confiscate and liquidate assets created out of 'dirty money' of drug peddling and spare no one, including politicians, for patronising and shielding such elements.

"Badal must display political will to teach a befitting lesson to those who have benefited enormously at the expense of Punjabis through drugs," Jakhar said in a statement here.

He added that accepting the resignation of one minister, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, on the issue of drug menace was "a hypocrisy of the highest order when the recent anti-incumbency verdict in the Lok Sabha elections against the Akali-BJP government is on record."

"The drama of raiding one village in Moga district for drug seizures will yield nothing as it is merely a smokescreen to shield the big sharks in the drug business. This village of Moga had been hogging the limelight for being a drug citadel, why did the Punjab Police then not take any action, which clearly goes to show police-politician nexus in drug peddling," he stated.

"BJP leader Arun Jaitley has for himself seen the plight of Maqboolpura Basti in Amritsar, where every house has lost its kith and kin to drug abuse and he had to suffer an inglorious defeat due to the wrath of the people against the Akali-BJP government for being patrons of the drug business in Punjab," Jakhar said.