There have also been reports of a nexus between drug kingpins and the state’s prominent politicians and police officers. Heroin trade has been a major source of political funding, which is why the issue of drug addiction in Punjab has been brushed under the carpet for almost a decade.
Punjab is also notoriously known for its liquor mafia. While the SAD-BJP government has been in power, there have been an unprecedented rise in the number of murders related to illicit liquor trade in Punjab. In October 2016, the killing of a 28-year-old name in Jalandhar, who had objected to bootlegging in his colony, made headlines. It’s the widespread presence of drugs, illicit sale of liquor, enmeshed with years of corruption that have corroded the image of Parkash Singh Badal.
Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, in its Youth Manifesto, has promised to weed out corruption from Punjab by introducing the Jan Lok Pal bill, while also promising to establish a special life-imprisonment law for drug lords and criminals. In addition, it has also proposed to introduce free wifi hotspots throughout Punjab. It is also concentrating on panning its lens towards the Dalit community in Punjab.
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(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:punjabupdate.com)
