Punjab AAP president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora Monday hit back at Opposition parties over the alleged suicide attempt by a Sangrur resident, accusing them of doing “low-level politics” without verifying the circumstances of the case and defending a man who, he said, faced nine criminal cases.
Jagga Singh, a resident of Namol village in Sangrur district, allegedly consumed a poisonous substance outside the district administrative complex Sunday. He had claimed that a local sarpanch threatened him after he shared a video purportedly concerning drug supply in the village.
Singh, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Patiala, had also alleged that he approached the police but no action was taken. He further claimed that he was forced to delete the video and that cameras installed at his house were damaged.
The incident prompted Opposition parties to target the AAP government over the drug problem in Punjab.
AAP disputes account
Addressing a press conference, Arora, whose Sunam Assembly constituency includes Namol, said the Opposition was presenting an incomplete account of the incident to “defame” the state government.
He said Namol has two panchayats and claimed that representatives of both, along with gurdwara committees and farmers’ organisations, had jointly resolved not to allow the sale of drugs in the village.
Giving the AAP’s account of the events preceding the alleged suicide attempt, Arora said there was a minor altercation on September 7 after Singh allegedly abused panchayat members and the sarpanch.
Complaints were subsequently lodged by both Singh and the panchayat at Cheema police station and were under investigation, he said.
Arora said Singh had on September 12 threatened to commit suicide if action was not taken against the sarpanch and other panchayat members.
“A sarpanch is an elected representative. To pressure an elected representative by saying that you will commit suicide and that their name will be mentioned is, in my view, not justified,” he said.
Arora cites criminal cases
Questioning the Opposition’s response, Arora said nine criminal cases had been registered against Singh and claimed some dated back to 2018.
“There are nine cases against Jagga Singh. Nine cases. What are these cases? Drug-related cases. And these cases are not registered today. They go back to 2018,” he said.
Arora claimed Singh had already been convicted in four cases, including cases related to drugs and liquor, and that a rape case had also been registered against him.
The existence of previous cases against Singh does not establish or disprove his allegations in connection with the latest incident, which authorities are examining.
“It is extremely shameful for all these parties and all these leaders that without finding out the ground reality, they simply try to defame the Punjab government, and us, while the ground reality is completely different,” Arora said.
He challenged Opposition leaders who had commented on the episode to visit Namol and make the same claims before residents of the village.
“I request them to do responsible politics. This low-level politics is shameful and condemnable,” he said.
Defends anti-drug drive
Arora also defended the AAP government’s campaign against narcotics, while acknowledging that the drug problem had not been eliminated.
Referring to the government’s Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign, he said Village Defence Committees had been formed as part of efforts to involve communities in tackling the problem.
“I am not saying that we have eliminated drugs. But where is the deficiency in our efforts?” Arora said, pointing to the committees, enforcement measures and awareness campaigns undertaken by the government.
His remarks came on the same day Congress general secretary and Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot accused both the AAP government and the BJP-led Centre of failing to tackle the drug crisis, which he said was “threatening the future of Punjab”.