Joint fight needed to tackle drug menace, says MP Randhawa

Chandigarh, July 6

The police need political support to check the menace of drugs, asserted Gurdaspur MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who held the Home portfolio during the Charanjit Singh Channi government.

Fight to save Punjab

It is a fight to save Punjab, and we all have to come together… terrorism was controlled due to political will and bureaucratic and public support. The same will be needed to keep the menace of drugs in check. — Sukhjinder Randhawa, Gurdaspur MP

Speaking on the “Decode Punjab” show of The Tribune, Randhawa said a lot of talk was going on about keeping a check on drugs and gangsters, but mere talking won’t solve the problem. “It is a fight to save Punjab, and we all have to come together to make people salute Punjab again. An officer or a bureaucrat needs political support and a political person needs bureaucratic support to achieve something. Terrorism was controlled due to political will, bureaucratic support and public support. The same will be needed to check the menace of drugs.”

Randhawa, a Congress veteran, said there was no point talking of commoners when elected politicians were also receiving threat calls from gangsters from jail.

On drugs, he said: “I can show you how easy it is to procure drugs in the state. It is a big problem and measures like transferring 10,000 cops will not do any good. If you find police personnel indulging in drugs, dismiss them immediately. I had dismissed 160 cops in nearly four months when I was looking after the Home portfolio.”

“I dare Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to talk to me on drugs and gangsters. I can tell on his face the reality on the ground,” Randhawa said.

He said it was astonishing that the Chief Minister had to shift base to Jalandhar in a bid to win a byelection, “I haven’t seen this earlier. The love for CM’s chair has made him rent a in Jalandhar. If his government had really worked hard, there would not have been a need for this. I have never heard of a CM do such a thing for a byelection.”

On infighting among Congress leaders, especially seniors, over the CM’s post in case the Congress wins the Assembly elections in 2027, Randhawa said the focus should be first on winning the elections, not personal growth.

“Instead of running after the CM’s post, we should work together to bring the Congress back to power. If we keep on fighting among ourselves, we are doomed. We should have a big heart and work together. The party affairs incharge, PPCC chief and the CLP should work together and take everyone along,” the former Deputy Chief Minister said.