Remarks on drugs misconstrued: Cong MLA Surjit Dhiman

Punjab Congress MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman today hit out at a section of the media for "twisting" his statement on drug menace in the state.
The ruling party's MLA said he had raised the issue of drugs at the state-level function in Sunam (Sangrur) yesterday to mark the anniversary of iconic freedom fighter Udham Singh's martyrdom, but his remarks had been interpreted out of context.
Dhiman, in a statement issued here, said he was concerned about the drugs menace and had described it as a major problem that required collective action from all sections of the society, including other political parties, to wipe it off Punjab's soil.

The problem was so gigantic that it would be unreasonable to expect the government alone to resolve it, he said, adding that he had clearly stated in Sunam yesterday that people needed to join hands with the state government to ensure that drugs were eliminated from every nook and corner in every street of Punjab.
It was unfortunate, said Dhiman, that the media had, in their "haste to pick up a big news point", focused on a few words and chose to project them "wrongly", making it appear that he was countering the state government's claims on its anti-drugs war.

The fact of the matter was that the state government, through the Special Task Force and the state police, had successfully controlled the drugs problem to a large extent, he said.
Yesterday, Dhiman had reportedly said 'chitta' (drugs) was "still available" in Punjab as the drive against the menace "remained effective for only the first 15 days of the government".
Opposition parties AAP and BJP today lashed out at the Amarinder Singh-led government, saying its claim of breaking the back of "drug cartels" in the state was "bogus".