Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu underwent voluntary dope tests on Friday, a day after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he was ready to undergo one, PTI reported. Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Sukhwinder Kumar also took a dope test.
Amarinder Singh had said on Thursday he would leave it to the conscience of other elected representatives if they wanted to take dope tests.
Rana KP Singh took the test at the Mohali Civil Hospital, and Ravneet Singh Bittu in Ludhiana. “It is very disheartening that Punjab, the land of gurus and legendary warriors, is facing such a menace,” Singh said after the test.
On Wednesday, the chief minister ordered all government employees, including police officers, to undergo mandatory dope tests from the time of recruitment through every stage of their service.
Rana KP Singh said the Punjab police was quite capable of fighting the drug menace. “There are some black sheep in the force but most police officers discharge their duties with utmost honesty,” he said, calling for a “further increase [in] the vigil on the international border to stop the inflow of drugs”.
He added, “If there is a wound on any part of our body, we should treat the wound first and not suggest to amputate that part of the body. We should come forward to solve this [drug] problem and bring back Punjab’s lost sheen.”
Kumar took the test at the district civil hospital in Nawanshahr, according to PTI. He said he firmly believed that only leaders free from all kinds of drug addiction could urge youngsters to shun drugs.
“Only such elected leaders can ensure a drug-free Punjab as then the drug peddlers will not find any political patronage,” he said.
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