New Delhi [India], October 26 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Sunday flagged the issues affecting youth in Punjab, including the problem of drug abuse, saying that the youth have resorted to harassing their own family members owing to substance addiction.

'There are addicts now who are harassing their own family members, their own mothers and sisters,' Shergill, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, told ANI in an interview.

Narrating his experience of being born and brought up in Punjab, Shergill argued that the state had lost a generation to terrorism earlier, and now it was on the verge of losing an entire generation to 'narco-terrorism'.

'I am speaking about Punjab from a point of view of worry and concern since I was born there. I spent my childhood and did my schooling in the dark days of terrorism. We've lost relatives to terrorism. Punjab lost a generation to terrorism. True. Today, Punjab is on the verge or it is in fact losing an entire generation to narco-terrorism. It is worse than those dark days of terrorism,' the BJP leader asserted.

Citing the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Shergill said that 33,000 drug cases have been registered between 2022 and 2024. However, he added, many cases don't reach the police station.

'In those days, there was a hope that we would combat terrorism. The social fabric of Punjab got together to defeat terrorism. However, the situation today is that nobody is left to fight terrorism. The numbers make headlines, but another aspect never makes it into the media story. 33,000 drug cases registered between 2022 and 2024. There are many cases which don't reach the police station,' the Supreme Court lawyer said.

'According to one study, 15.1 per cent of the Punjab population is consuming some form of the drug or another. The BSF record is 284 kgs of heroin caught last year. 294 drones were caught crossing the border. Before that, that number was 107. The drug penetration reached the school,' he added.

Referring to the 'Zombie-like existence' remark made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier, Shergill said that the youth have resorted to harassing their family members.

'This is a state that was considered the land of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Bhagat Singh ka Inquilaab. That's a glorious history of Punjab. Today, the playgrounds are transformed into cremation grounds for people with an addiction. There are addicts now who are harassing their own family members, their mothers and sisters,' Shergill said.

'Many affected parents go to hospitals, and sometimes they have to ask in helplessness, 'Doctor, ye bach to nahi jayega? When they take them for treatment, some people are so much beyond cure. They don't want him back since the addict is harassing them at home. He is beating up his parents and his sister. The addiction is unbearable. The addiction in Punjab is not merely a supply issue; some are doing expensive drugs, some are doing cheap ones,' he added.

Holding the ruling parties in Punjab accountable, Shergill said that the drug issue in the state was a victim of 'Tarikh-pe-tarikh' politics and has been neglected by all parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Akal Dal, or Congress.

'The drug issue is a victim of tarik pe tarik politics of the successive and the consecutive state governments. Now, look at the AAP government. They made a promise and have forgotten about it. Since 2022, the AAP government has said it will make Punjab drug-free within a span of six months. Neglecting the drug issue has been an infectious disease, among state governments - be it Congress, AAP or Akali Dal,' he added.

Shergill argued that Punjab was once again being pushed towards the 'dark era' since it stares at the issue of drug abuse, combined with migration, unemployment, and lawlessness.

'Punjab is in a dangerous cocktail of migration. No employment, rampant drug abuse, lawlessness, and certain fringe elements that are there to lure these unemployed youths. It is a dangerous cocktail that pushes Punjab once again into the dark era. Unless there is a strong state government in the state, it will be difficult to revive Punjab,' the BJP leader said. (ANI)