DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that the state government will adopt no leniency towards the 'Jarnails' who were the perpetrators behind the genocide of youth through the curse of drugs.

Participating in the debate over the issue of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh, the Chief Minister said that said that the Jarnails who had patronized the drug trade have already been put behind bars. He said that these leaders not only used to patronize drug trade across the state but ironically they even sold/ supplied the drugs in their official government vehicles. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that in the past no one had previously dared to arrest these affluent leaders, but now his government has done so and they will have to pay the price for their sins.

The Chief Minister assured the house that exemplary punishment will be ensured for these leaders so that no one ever dares to commit this sin again. He quipped that now Nabha Jail has become the synonym of ?hitta''as those who had introduced this drug to Punjab are now lodged in this jail. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that known for their opulence- acquired through illegal means, these leaders are now demanding facilities in the jail.

The Chief Minister categorically said that those responsible for laying the pyres of youth in Punjab don't deserve any sort of comfort in jail as they have to pay for their misdeeds. He said that a thorough enquiry has reflected that these leaders have amassed huge wealth through the drug trade adding that strictest punishment will be ensured to them for this crime. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government is committed to ensure that these leaders get exemplary punishment for their crime against humanity.

The Chief Minister said that as a fact of matter, Majithia had continued the 'dubious legacy' of his family to backstab Punjab and its people for their vested interests. He said that Majithia's ancestors had backstabbed the people by holding dinner for General Dyer on the same night when he had committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that similarly Akali leader looted the people of state during his heydays and patronized the drug trade thereby ruining the lives of millions of youth.

The Chief Minister also said that Punjab was being defamed over the issue of drugs whereas various other states have this problem more severely than Punjab. He said that some forces inimical to the state had unleashed a malicious campaign to tarnish its image by labeling the hard working Punjabis as drug addicts. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that as Punjab is fighting national war against the drugs due to which it was being defamed continuously despite immense contribution in every field.

(editor@dailyworld.in)