The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday condemned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and State chief minister Bhagwant Mann for admitting they had failed to control the drug menace in Punjab and said it was shameful that they were now trying to pass on the buck to Sarpanches and Panches during a ceremony held to administer oath of office to the latter.

Addressing a press conference here, senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the AAP had come to power in the State on the promise of eradicating the drug menace within one month.

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“Now after having failed in the task and upon being accused of patronising the drug mafia it’s supremo – Arvind Kejriwal has passed on this responsibility to the Sarpanches and Panches. In the end they will blame these grass root leaders for the failures of the AAP government to end this menace and hold the Sarpanches and Panches guilty for the same.”

Dr Daljit Cheema while referring to Arvind Kejriwal said it was shameful a person who had been given bail in a corruption case on the condition that he would not enter the chief minister’s secretariat or sign files had presided over a function to administer oath of office to Sarpanches and Panches.

He said it was incumbent on Kejriwal to tell Punjabis who were seeking drugs in the State as the AAP leader had earlier accused political leaders of being behind this menace. “Kejriwal cannot indulge in a blame game on this issue any longer”, he added.

The SAD leader said the truth was that there were two parallel governments in Punjab – one run from Delhi by Kejriwal and the other being run from the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh.

“Both these governments are harping on the issue of drugs as a diversionary tactic to divert attention from the pressing issues of Punjab including lack of procurement and lifting of paddy and shortage of supply of DAP fertiliser for the forthcoming paddy crop.”

He said it was even more condemnable that the chief minister – Bhagwant Mann and the 92 AAP legislators had become lame ducks due to which there was no respite in sight for the suffering peasantry.

Asking the AAP government and its chief minister to recognise their duties towards the farmers and different sections of society, Dr Cheema said “either do this or quit. We cannot have a government which is indifferent towards the problems of the people and frittering away public money on advertisements and cheap tamashas at the cost of bankrupting the State.”