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Gangsters, drug lords will be declared terrorists if SAD voted to power: Sukhbir at Ferozepur rally
Speaking at the rally organised under the party’s Punjab Bachao campaign at Ferozepur rural on Tuesday, Sukhbir alleged that gangsters and drug smugglers were holding Punjab to ransom.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said if voted to power, his government would designate gangsters and drug traffickers as terrorists and deal with them with the full force of the law.
Speaking at the rally organised under the party’s Punjab Bachao campaign at Ferozepur rural on Tuesday, Sukhbir alleged that gangsters and drug smugglers were holding Punjab to ransom.
“The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had failed to act decisively. The time has come for extraordinary legislation. Once SAD forms the government, we will bring a law to deny bail to gangsters and drug traffickers and confiscate their properties. They should either leave Punjab or be prepared to face complete eradication under the law,” he said.
The SAD chief accused the AAP government led by chief minister Bhagwant Mann of misgovernance, citing what he described as contradictory statements on the killing of two police personnel in Gurdaspur.
“The government first expressed ignorance, then hailed the policemen’s sacrifice and announced compensation, and later suggested a scuffle between the officers themselves. Such flip-flops expose the government’s confusion and lack of seriousness towards law and order,” Sukhbir said, alleging that Mann was more focused on political commitments outside Punjab.
Badal also criticised the state government for launching the ‘Meri Rasoi’ scheme in the final phase of its tenure, calling it a desperate attempt to influence voters ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
“The scheme was announced after government land had been sold at throwaway prices and termed it an election gimmick,” he added.
Sukhbir promised restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for government employees and a renewed focus on farmers, youth, and the underprivileged.
He announced time-bound tubewell connections for farmers, permanent embankments to prevent floods, enhanced social welfare benefits, subsidised atta and dal, higher old-age pensions and interest-free loans for youth.
AAP blames SAD for fuelling drugs, gangsters
Chandigarh: reacting to Sukhbir’s statement at the rally, AAP on Tuesday said the people of the state did not know of gangsters or drugs before 2007 and they flourished under the SAD government.
AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu said it was hypocritical of those who “promoted gangster culture and drugs” in the state to now talk about launching a clean-up campaign. He asked who was responsible for the rise of gangster culture and ‘chitta’ in Punjab.
“Before 2007, people in Punjab were not familiar with gangsters or synthetic drugs. They flourished during the SAD government’s tenure from 2007 to 2017,” Pannu charged. He said the AAP government, under CM Bhagwant Mann, was carrying out a strong campaign against drugs and taking action against gangsters.PTI
