New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said the youth of the state should not be defamed on the issue of drug use.
"Don't defame the youth of Punjab. Punjab is No. 1 in agriculture, textiles, food processing... would that be done by drug addicts?
"I went to Mumbai for investments summit. An MNC guy asked me do you have manpower in Punjab? I asked 'why'. He said 70 per cent of the youth are drug addicts," said Badal during an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Summit here.
He then blamed the media for advocating the issue of 'drug problem' in Punjab.
"The 'drug problem' of Punjab has been largely advocated by the media. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in Punjab said 70 per cent youth in Punjab are drug users. And the media next day made it headlines," Badal added.
On the issue of drugs, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh stressed on the need for a national drug policy.
"We don't have a national drug policy. What we are more worried about is the synthetic drugs," he said.
