Continuing to corner his own party’s government over the issue of drugs, Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday slammed Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa over his decision to set up a three-member committee under Chief Secretary to probe the delay in initiating action against drug peddlers.
Sidhu also lashed out at Randhawa over his remarks to “once again” urge the Punjab and Haryana High Court to open the “sealed” report. The report was submitted by the then chief of Government-constituted Special Task Force (STF) on drugs in the Court in a sealed cover in a drugs matter.
Sidhu, who had recently threatened to go on a fast-unto-death if the drug report was not made public by the State Government, on Sunday asked the Government why it was pleading in the High Court when the Court had directed it to take the lead and open the report.
Sidhu took to Twitter to share the relevant parts of the High Court directions passed in this context to attack the party’s government over the drugs issue. “...if there is nothing in the report, then let the captain be accountable, if there is anything then take immediate action,” said Sidhu.
Ahead of the 2022 polls, the drugs issue is once again taking political hues. Sidhu has all along been raising the issue to act against the “kingpins” of the drugs menace that ruined Punjab’s youth, while pressuring Congress-led Punjab Government to open the STF report, that is with the High Court in a sealed cover.
Citing High Court’s observations, Sidhu maintained that the Court had handed over a copy of this report to the Punjab Government, through the Advocate-General, and nowhere the High Court had stopped this report from being made public.
Notably, Sidhu’s outburst came a day after the Deputy Chief Minister Randhawa formed a committee and asked the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), and DGP to ascertain if the Special Task Force (STF) on drugs had ‘deliberately’ delayed action on the pretext that a sealed report submitted by it to the High Court was yet to be opened.
The committee would look into if the STF was barred from investigating cases it may have mentioned in the sealed report submitted to the High Court, why it was not possible for it to probe important drug cases registered in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib as the names of certain politicians figured in these cases, why the STF ignored reminders by the Home Secretary for a thorough investigation, and whether the office of the Advocate-General was lenient in pursuing the cases in various courts.
Responding to Punjab Congress chief’s outburst, Randhawa said that only Sidhu can answer if the High Court has imposed any stay on making the SIT report public. “I have formed a committee, and it would submit the report in a week’s time. The picture would be clear to a great extent after the report,” said Randhawa.