Proposed dharnas are against drugs, not against BSF: Badal

Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today made it clear that dharnas by the party to be on January 5 should not be misconstrued against Border Security Force (BSF) or any other government agency.
SAD Patron and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the proposed sit-in by his party "must not be misconstrued against any government agency" rather it is against drug menace in the state.
"The proposed protest of the SAD was against the curse of drugs in the state and not against the BSF or any other government agency," Badal said.
The SAD on Sunday last had said that they would be holding sit-ins along the International Border (IB) on January 5 to "pressurise the BSF to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan side".

In a climb down from its stance over the proposed dharna early next month, the SAD yesterday said that the sit-in near the IB was be "to create awareness about drugs rather than to pressurise the BSF to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan side".
The SAD would hold dharnas at three places which would precede an anti-drug campaign, which BJP President Amit Shah is set to begin on January 12.
Badal today said the state was not only fighting the war of the nation but also of the world against drugs as Punjab was on the transit route of the drugs supplied across the globe from international border.

He blamed some forces inimical to the interests of Punjab for tarnishing the image of Punjabis and said "rather than helping the state to confront this crisis some forces inimical to the interests of Punjab were hell bent upon tarnishing its image by branding the brave Punjabis as drug peddlers.