Navjot Sidhu threatens fast-unto-death on issues of drug menace, sacrilege

Kulwinder Sandhu

Tribune News Service

Baghapurana (Moga), November 26

In an embarrassment to Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has threatened will go on fast-unto-death if the Congress government does not publish and make public the reports on drug menace and the sacrilege incidents.

He was addressing a public rally at Baghapurana town in Moga district on Thursday. He said this just after the CM Charanjit Channi left the venue owing to his busy schedule to preside over few public functions in the Moga city.

Though, Channi categorically said that he was doing all works after consultation with the PCC chief as the party was supreme, but Sidhu chose the CM’s absence on the venue to attack him on the drugs and sacrilege issues.

“One government has gone, the other one has been formed; the chief minister has gone and another one has taken over the office. If the new CM does not provide justice on the incidents of sacrilege then I will sacrifice my body to seek justice for disrespect of our gurus because our gurus are supreme over and above us, our state and the country,” he said.

“My conscience and the conscience of all Punjabis demand justice. What is the use of our government, which cannot provide justice to us,” he said while adding that making the promise of providing justice on the sacrilege issue, the change in guard was brought in by the government.

Similarly, the investigation report on the issue of drugs was deliberately not being made public even as there were no court restrictions on it. “Hundreds and thousands of women who lost their husbands and sons to drugs demand justice,” he said.

Demanding to make public the reports on drug menace and the sacrilege incidents, Navjot Sidhu said the people of Punjab must know why the previous chief ministers ‘slept’ for years instead of taking stern legal action against the ‘culprits’.

“I am the party president. I have no administrative powers. Channi has told you just now that he (Channi) is working in consultation with the party chief then I direct him to act on the issues of drug menace and sacrilege incidents,” he added.

Adding that why he was ‘crying’, Sidhu said Punjab was heading towards bankruptcy. He said that the finances of the state need to be restructured and streamlined to steer Punjab to regain its lost glory. He claimed that the Punjab government could earn Rs 2,000 crore from mining and Rs 20,000 crore from excise revenues, but the system needs to be changed to earn good profits and snub the mafia. “Punjab needs to earn at least Rs 35,000 crore to work efficiently,” he said.

Talking about the cable mafia, he said that the question was not to give you cable network services for Rs 100 per month but what the state earns from it? He said one cable network owner under the patronage of previous governments had made slaves the small operators who were mere scapegoats. “I promise you that I will recover all the taxes and rents from cable mafia pending towards the government and the local bodies”, he said. “We can earn Rs 5,000 crore from cable systems,” he claimed.

Navjot Sidhu further said that the farmers had won the battle on withdrawal of controversial farm laws but this victory was half-done because the union government had not given the guarantee for the purchase of food grains. “The question is they have not given the guarantee of purchase on MSP,” he said. He cautioned the farmers that in the coming years, the government purchase will be stopped by them.

Sidhu said he swore at Baghapurana today that he will continue his “war against injustice”.

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