Minister faces ire at Golden Temple as devotees pose queries over ending drug menace

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, April 23

Cabinet minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, who is the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Khadoor Sahib, faced the ire of devotees inside the parikrama of Darbar Sahib on the issue of drug abuse in the region today. Bhullar was here to apologise to the Ramgarhia and Sawarnkar communities for his ‘derogatory’ statement against them in a poll meeting at Patti a few days back. Bhullar visited the Ramgarhia Bunga, polished shoes of Sangat and washed utensils in langar. Meanwhile, some youngsters tried to question him regarding the free flow of Chitta (heroin) in the region. “We don’t have any other hope from the Aam Aadmi Party in the state. Not all drugs but at least Chitta should have been curbed in the state. They can’t do anything else. But the youth are dying and mothers are losing sons. They (AAP) had promised to end the drug menace but failed to do anything,” they said.

Responding to media queries, Bhullar stated that the youth did not oppose him but advocated the government’s policy to end the drug menace. “We also think of curbing drugs that claim the lives of thousands of Punjabi youth. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann gave directions to the police officials to end the drug menace,” he said.

Bhullar claimed that he met the office-bearers of Ramgarhia Sabha and Sawarnkar Association and apologised for his statement. Earlier, he apologised in Facebook live to all the community members but the agitated members of Ramgarhia and Sawarnkar communities held demonstrations against Bhullar and AAP government all over the state.