Chandigarh
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday criticised former Indian cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh for sharing a video from Rajasthan and allegedly presenting it as an incident from Punjab.
Cheema said Harbhajan Singh, who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the Aam Aadmi Party to represent Punjab and raise issues concerning its youth, should have used his platform to encourage youngsters to take up sports instead of sharing content that allegedly tarnished the state’s image.
Referring to the video, Cheema said the Punjab Police had traced its origin to Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and established that it had no connection with Punjab. He accused the BJP’s IT machinery of picking up videos from other states and portraying them as incidents from Punjab to malign the state and its youth.
The minister also linked the controversy to the state government’s ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign against drugs. He alleged that the BJP was attempting to undermine the progress made by the Bhagwant Mann government in tackling the drug menace.
Cheema said drug abuse had intensified during the 2007-2017 SAD-BJP government, claiming that terms such as chitta and smack became widely associated with Punjab during that period.
He said the government was simultaneously expanding sports infrastructure to provide young people with alternatives to drugs. According to Cheema, more than 3,000 sports stadiums have already been built across Punjab, while another 6,000 are under development.
The minister said investment in sports was aimed at helping Punjab’s youth pursue healthier and productive futures.