Punjab Assembly speaker undergoes dope test

A day after AAP legislator in Punjab Aman Arora underwent a dope test, Punjab Assembly speaker Rana K.P. Singh also opted for it on Friday.

He volunteered and took the test at the Mohali Civil Hospital, around 10 km from here.

"It is very disheartening that Punjab, the land of Gurus and legendary warriors, is facing the menace of drug abuse," the speaker said after undergoing the dope test.

Appealing to all political parties to join hands with the state government in its fight against drugs, he said there was an urgent need to build an apolitical mass movement against drugs.

"It is a complex problem. Neither did it crop up in days nor will it be cured immediately," he added.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Aman Arora later challenged Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to undergo the dope test.

Accepting the challenge, the Chief Minister on Thursday said he was willing to undergo a dope test.

Opposition leaders are demanding that the Chief Minister should ask his Cabinet members and Congress MLAs to take the test.

However, Amarinder Singh said that he would "leave it to the conscience of other elected representatives to take a decision on the same."

The Chief Minister had earlier ordered mandatory dope test for all state employees, including police during recruitment as well as during their service.

--IANS

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