Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Jattvibeday met Union home minister Amit Shah here and apprised him of the state’s drug menace and law and order challenges.
This was Dhillon’s first meeting with Shah after assuming charge as the Punjab BJP head. The meeting came a day after former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met Amit Shah and the BJP intensified its Punjab outreach.
The Tribune has learnt that BJP president Nitin Nabin will visit Punjab in June and his programme is being finalised. This will be Nabin’s first visit to the state after he became the BJP’s youngest chief.
Further as part of its Punjab election planning, the party will send Union Ministers to the state. Union Housing minister ML Khattar and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will be the first to visit Punjab in that series. Khattar is scheduled for an Amritsar visit on June 13 and Meghwal will also be travelling to Punjab soon.
Dhillon told The Tribune that Punjab was reeling under an alarming spread of drugs and a deteriorating internal security environment under the AAPgovernment. He also flagged cross-border smuggling of narcotics and weapons. Dhillon also presented Shah with a book on Maharaja Ranjit Singh — the Sikh emperor who had unified Punjab and symbolises its glory, valour, and sovereignty. He also presented a portrait of the Maharaja. The Punjab BJP chief had yesterday told The Tribune that the BJP seeks to establish “Sarkar-e-Khalsa” in Punjab. After meeting Shah, Dhillon said the Home Minister expressed deep concerns for the state.
“Punjab is a border state with immense strategic importance and the AAP government has utterly failed its people. Drug trafficking is destroying our youth, gangsterism is flourishing, and law and order has collapsed,” he said. “I apprised the Home Minister of the ground realities and urged for the Centre’s continued support in ensuring the safety and security of every Punjabi,” he added.