Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja on Friday said that there has been a spike in chitta (heroin) cases in the state after the clampdown on drug abuse in neighbouring Punjab, but the Manohar Lal Khattar government is in denial.
Campaigning for party nominee from Kalka, Pradeep Chaudhary, who quit the Indian National Lok Dal to join the Congress recently, Selja said, “If voted to power, we will crack down hard on the drug mafia that has shifted base to Haryana. Youngsters, particularly in districts bordering Punjab, are falling prey to the menace.”
Focusing on the young voters in the Dalit-dominated area of Chauna Chowk, Selja said that they were driven to drugs due to growing unemployment. “Factories such as the tractor-making unit of public sector company HMT, the pride of Pinjore, have closed down during the BJP’s tenure. Five years ago, the BJP promised achhe din and jobs but instead of creating opportunities, they destroyed existing ones. It’s time the voters asked for the party’s report card. Pehle report phir vote.”
Pinjore, an industrial town of Kalka constituency, borders Punjab’s Mohali and Himachal Pradesh’s Solan districts. When contacted, Panchkula police commissioner Saurabh Singh denied any unusual rise in drug seizures of late but said, “We are keeping a close watch and acting swiftly on tip-offs. There is a complete crackdown on the drug mafia.”
Countering the BJP’s narrative of Kashmir with the economic slowdown, she spoke of how all sections of the society had been affected by it. She highlighted local problems such as traffic congestion in town due to the delay in constructing the Baddi-Nalagarh bypass and the lack of proper drainage system.
She defended the Congress choice of fielding turncoat Chaudhary by saying, “After seeing the josh here, I’m convinced that we have a mazboot stambh (strong pillar) and winner in him.”
Chaudhary, the INLD MLA in 2009, urged his supporters to put up a united show and focus on local issues such as the BJP’s failure to grant hill area status to Morni besides making Raipur Rani a sub division.
