He said Punjab was in the thick of drug menace due to

"official criminal nexuses". The government was not following the the directions of the High Court while auctioning sand mines, which is being done for the sole purpose of earning profits at the cost of the common man, he said. He alleged that the alliance government had failed on the law and order front and cases of rape, abduction and snatching had become rampant across the state. He appealed to voters in the Moga assembly segment to come out in support of Congress candidate Vijay Kumar Sathi by teaching a lesson to Akali Dal nominee Jain who defected to Akalis and put the state for bypoll deceiving the electorates. Even as Sukhbir exuded confidence that Jain would win the Moga bypoll comfortably as Akalis are seeking votes on the development card, he remained unsuccessful in quelling rebellion within Akalis by two groups belonging to party senior leader Tota Singh and former DGP Paramdeep Singh Gill, party insiders said. Jagrup Singh, who was former chairman of Badhni Kalan Market Committee and was closely associated with Jain, preferred to stay with the Congress. Ajay Sood, member of national executive of the Janta Dal United, who was election agent of former DGP Gill in 2012 polls, announced not to support Jain.