Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal says Rahul Gandhi has no business labelling Punjab a state of drug addicts

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had no business tarnishing the image of Punjab by calling it a state of drug addicts, and added that this was one of the reasons why the Shiromani Akali Dal was protesting in Attari.

"We are trying to save the youth of our country. The image of Punjab should not be tarnished. Rather than calling us drug lords, Punjab should be appreciated. The Congress called us drug addicts and Rahul Gandhi tarnished the image of Punjabis by calling them so. We are fighting drug addiction. We are holding this rally close to the border because nation should know where the drugs come from," said Badal.

"Punjab is being talked about because we are on the border; we are the transit not the destination. Punjab is not the destination; we are a border state, a transit point. Drugs come from Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the media projected Punjabis as drug addicts. They have projected us as criminals but I appeal to you not to project Punjabis as drug addicts. We are producers of wheat and rice," he added.

Earlier in the day, the Shiromani Akali Dal held a sit-in near the Attari international border to pitch for "greater vigilance along the border with Pakistan" to stop the flow of narcotics into the state.

Earlier, the Punjab Congress had announced plans to stage a sit-in on Monday at the Amritsar district headquarters to demand the dismissal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-led government in Punjab for allegedly inciting people against the security forces. However, the event was cancelled.