Mohali, 26 September (H.S.): Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today appealed to the women of Punjab to unite and launch an “andolan” on the lines of the Kisan Andolan to free the State of the scourge of drugs under Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rule.

The MP, who addressed massive ‘Maawan – Dheeyan’ Insaaf rallies here said “the time has come to take things in our own hands if we are to save our sons and the coming generation. Let us counter this menace in the same way that we opposed the three black agricultural laws and forced the centre to take them back. Let us start ‘thikri pehra’ in our villages to send a clear message to the messengers of death and the AAP leaders- police nexus that the women of Punjab have woken up. That enough is enough and that we won’t let drugs be sold in our streets any longer”.

Speaking about how both the previous Congress and the present AAP government had failed them, Harsimrat Badal said “the Congress used the gun against our youth. This government is using the ‘goli’ of drugs”. She said the situation had taken a turn for the worst under AAP rule. You may not get toffees in shops but you will get ‘nashe di goli’. Similarly flour can be in short supply but not ‘chitta’”.

Asserting that chief minister Bhagwant Mann was solely responsible for this state of affairs, Badal said “whose responsibility is it to keep drugs away from your seats?” She also asked why the chief minister was not fulfilling his promise to put the drug lords behind bars. She also cited the latest national figures to prove how Punjab was ranked first in drug trafficking and second in drug overdose deaths under the watch of AAP.

Asserting that the SAD alone could fight for their rights, Badal said “for us your grievances are most important. This is why I chose to leave the union cabinet in protest against the three agriculture black laws”. She assured that once the SAD formed the government laws would be changed to deny bail to drug traffickers for eight years besides awarding them life imprisonment.

Badal also described how women were being dishonoured in the AAP regime. She said even though wronged women had approached the chief minister and two of them had filed rape charges against a media influencer the government did not help them. “Instead the chief minister’s wife – Gurpreet Kaur Mann negotiated a Rs five crore deal with rapist – Guri Chahal’s aide and ensured the latter was freed from prison. “We demand justice for the rape victims and an independent probe into the bribery assertions made against Gurpreet Kaur”, she asserted.

She also spoke on how the women would reject the AAP government’s bid to buy them off by giving them Rs 3,000 when they were owed Rs 60,000 at the rate of Rs 1,000 per month as per the promise made to them. She said women had the right to demand their dues and this money should be released to them immediately. Senior leaders including Parminder Singh Sohana, Paramjit Kaur Landran were present.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH