Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Vijay Sampla on Wednesday came down heavily on the claims of the SAD leadership that the drug menace in Punjab is because of the free flow of poppy husk and opium from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where these drugs were cultivated.
"It's wrong to allege that the two states are responsible for the drug menace in Punjab. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the number of people hooked on to drugs is not that high as in Punjab," Sampla said while addressing a press conference here.
The minister said the drug problem in the state was a result of the despair the state youth had fallen into during the 10-year-long rule of the UPA at the Centre in which a large number of industrial units were closed down because of the government apathy.
"Due to this ignorant attitude, the job options in the state decreased sharply as industry started moving to other states and the youth developed a negative frame of mind and started taking drugs. It's time to reach at the root of the problem. Mere blame game won't serve the purpose," Sampla said.
The Hoshiarpur MP ridiculed the SAD's move to organise dharnas across the border on January 5 to protest against the BSF for not stopping the inflow of drugs from Pakistan into India. "Our forces are keeping a close tab on the borders. Especially under the Modi regime, our country has got a new strength to watch the borders. The kind of strictness on the borders seen under the NDA rule was not there earlier," he said.
{{/usCountry}}The Hoshiarpur MP ridiculed the SAD's move to organise dharnas across the border on January 5 to protest against the BSF for not stopping the inflow of drugs from Pakistan into India. "Our forces are keeping a close tab on the borders. Especially under the Modi regime, our country has got a new strength to watch the borders. The kind of strictness on the borders seen under the NDA rule was not there earlier," he said.
{{/usCountry}}On conversions, the minister said the BJP is against forcible conversion. He, however, refused to comment on the recent ghar wapsi of a few Christian families into the Sikh fold in Amritsar.