New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has demanded the resignation of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and an independent, impartial probe into the death of Sangrur resident Gulzar Singh, should not "indulge in politics over dead bodies", AAP leader Anurag Dhanda said on Wednesday.
This comes after Gandhi demanded justice for the family of Gulzar Singh, a 50-year-old man from Punjab who allegedly died by suicide after consuming pesticide. He also called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Singh’s death.
The Congress leader urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to seek the resignation of Finance Minister Cheema and ensure that a fair and impartial investigation is conducted, with Cheema’s name included in the FIR.
Speaking to IANS, Dhanda said: "I believe Rahul Gandhi should not indulge in politics over dead bodies. Yesterday, his MLA attempted to do the exact same thing by visiting a village in Punjab, and the villagers pushed him out and drove him away."
Dhanda further said Gandhi should first explain how drugs spread in Punjab.
"The Akali-BJP government spread the drugs, and Rahul Gandhi’s Congress government delivered them to every doorstep. During their tenure, the situation was terrible; these people drowned Punjab in substance abuse, " he said.
He added that since the Bhagwant Mann government came to power, a decisive war has been underway against drug traffickers.
"Name any other state in the entire country where a fight of this magnitude is being waged against drugs like the one launched by the Punjab government, " Dhanda told IANS.
The AAP leader further alleged that the Congress had failed to fulfil its promise of eradicating drugs from Punjab.
“The Congress party promised people that they would eradicate drugs. They swore an oath on the gutka, and what did they do after that? They did the exact same thing; they allowed drugs to proliferate in every household and patronised drug traffickers, ” he said.
"In the true sense, if anyone has made genuine efforts to eliminate drugs from Punjab, it is the government of Bhagwant Mann, the Aam Aadmi Party government. We will not spare a single drug trafficker, whether they have the backing of Congress leaders, BJP leaders, or Akali leaders. No drug smuggler will be spared at any cost, " Dhanda added.
In a video statement purportedly made before his death, Gulzar Singh allegedly accused the village sarpanch of being responsible for his condition and claimed that he faced pressure from police after questioning a leader of the ruling AAP.
“The sarpanch is also responsible for my death. I had questioned Cheema about drugs. My son takes drugs. My house was sold. I don't have anything, and finally, now I have consumed poison. The problem of drugs has not been solved anywhere in Punjab, ” Singh said in the video.