Fazilka (Punjab), Sep 20 (IANS) Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal on Sunday described the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra as a movement for social reform.
He said the objective of the campaign was to protect generations of Punjabis from drugs and take Punjab forward on the path of becoming a developed state.
Meghwal was addressing a public gathering before flagging off the third Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra from Fazilka’s Old Vegetable Market. Before addressing the gathering, he visited the Asafwala Shaheedi Memorial, where he paid floral tributes to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.
He was accompanied by BJP national General Secretary and Punjab BJP in-charge Satish Poonia, state president Kewal Singh Dhillon, former state president Sunil Jakhar and former minister Surjit Kumar Jiani.
Addressing the gathering before flagging off the third Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra, the Union Minister said some people were viewing the yatra through a political lens. However, he said it was not a political campaign but an initiative for social reform.
Meghwal said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Narendra Modi government not only run government programmes but also undertake initiatives aimed at social reform. He cited PM Modi’s campaigns such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam as examples of such social initiatives.
Speaking about the harmful effects of drugs, the Union Law Minister referred to the Bani of Guru Amar Das from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and said that people should stay away from anything whose consumption affects the human mind, intellect and sense of discretion.
He also referred to the importance of Naam Simran in the Bani of Guru Nanak Dev, saying that one can truly engage in Naam Simran only when one’s sense of discretion remains intact. The minister said this is why people were urged to stay away from intoxicants.
During his address, Meghwal also sang a Shabad of Guru Nanak Dev, drawing an appreciative response from the gathering. He said the message of creating awareness against drugs could also be found in the Bani of the Sikh Gurus, Bhagat Kabir Das and Guru Ravidas.
The minister said people could be motivated to protect themselves from the harmful effects of drugs only by linking the campaign for a drug-free Punjab with social and spiritual awareness. He said this was the objective of the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra.
Speaking on the occasion, state BJP President Dhillon said, “Those who had spread the scourge of drugs have been rattled by the BJP’s Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra. The yatra has put the Chief Minister on the back foot.”
Referring to the recent Mohanjeet Sheron and Gulzar Singh incidents in Sangrur, Dhillon alleged that the government was suppressing voices speaking out against drugs. He said people had become so frustrated that residents in Faridkot were putting up “house for sale” boards outside their homes. He said that if the BJP could eliminate gangsterism in Uttar Pradesh, Naxalism in Jharkhand and violence in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, then why could it not eliminate drugs from Punjab?
Dhillon said the BJP had a track record of delivering on its promises and doing what it said it would do.
Former state BJP President Jakhar said that while deaths had so far been occurring due to drug abuse, more people were now dying for raising their voice against drugs. He said some people were being killed by drug smugglers, while others were being forced to commit suicide on the pretext of having raised questions.
Launching a sharp attack on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Jakhar said 79,000 arrests that had been made were not a sign of Kejriwal’s bravery, but evidence of the extent to which the younger generation had been pushed into the drug crisis.
–IANS
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