NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of failing to tackle the state’s drug problem and alleging that he used to smell of alcohol during their time together in Parliament.Addressing the party’s ‘Insaaf Rally’ in Sangrur, Rahul also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of being controlled by leaders in Delhi and questioned its ability to curb drug abuse.Recalling his time in the Lok Sabha with the Punjab CM, Rahul said, “I was in the Lok Sabha with him. He (Punjab CM) used to sit with us and tell jokes, right there, sitting among us. By 11:00 am, you could smell alcohol on his breath.”He clarified that drinking was a personal choice but said the chief minister’s conduct was relevant to the state’s fight against substance abuse.“Now, I am not saying that Bhagwant Mann shouldn’t drink; that is his personal affair. If he chooses to drink, that is entirely his own business. But if you truly want to fight the menace of substance abuse, your Chief Minister cannot be under the influence every single evening. You need someone who will fight for Punjab, someone who genuinely feels the pain caused by drugs, someone who carries the pain of Punjab in his heart,” he said.Rahul further alleged that the Punjab government was being run from Delhi with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Union home minister Amit Shah exercising influence over the state government.“People here need a govt that works for Punjab. When the Congress party comes to power, the govt of Punjab cannot be run from Delhi. Our party will run the Punjab government from within Punjab” he said.“Right now, however, the reins are held half by Amit Shah and half by Kejriwal, while Bhagwant Mann just sits there. Punjab is being governed from Delhi,” he added.Rahul also questioned Amit Shah’s claim that the drug menace in Punjab would be eradicated within three years.“What timeline did they (Union HM Amit Shah) set for the drug issue?… Within three years? In three years, Amit Shah won’t even be the Home Minister anymore… My assessment is that this govt won’t even last a year. Anyway, Amit Shah claims he will eradicate the drug problem in three years,” he said.Recalling his earlier warnings about the spread of drugs in Punjab, Rahul said opposition parties including the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal had dismissed his concerns at the time.“Many years ago, when I first visited Punjab, I pointed out that the drug menace was spreading there. The opposition, the BJP, the Akali Dal, and others, claimed that Rahul Gandhi knew nothing about Punjab and that drugs were not spreading in the state,” he said.He argued that Punjab needed industries, factories and a strong agricultural sector to create opportunities for people, warning that a lack of economic opportunities could contribute to drug abuse and gangsterism.The Congress leader accused the AAP government of failing to deliver on its promise to eliminate drugs from the state.
“The Aam Aadmi Party came to power, and you placed your trust in them, in Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party. They promised that they would eradicate the drug menace. I ask you: where have they eliminated it? From which corner of Punjab have they managed to remove drugs? They are simply incapable of eradicating this menace,” Rahul said.The Congress leader also referred to his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a face-to-face debate, which he said he had issued a day earlier.“Yesterday, I challenged Narendra Modi to a face-to-face debate. He can make anyone he wants the judge for this debate. I guarantee the nation that Narendra Modi cannot sit before me,” Rahul said.“I can guarantee that within five minutes of the debate starting I will prove that Narendra Modi is a ‘desh-drohi’ and Donald Trump controls him,” he added.