Punjab Assembly speaker undergoes dope test
Chandigarh, July 6: A day after AAP legislator in Punjab Aman Arora underwent a dope test, Punjab Assembly speaker Rana K.P. Singh also opted for it on Friday.
He volunteered and took the test at the Mohali Civil Hospital, around 10 km from here.
"It is very disheartening that Punjab, the land of Gurus and legendary warriors, is facing the menace of drug abuse," the speaker said after undergoing the dope test.
Appealing to all political parties to join hands with the state government in its fight against drugs, he said there was an urgent need to build an apolitical mass movement against drugs.
"It is a complex problem. Neither did it crop up in days nor will it be cured immediately," he added.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Aman Arora later challenged Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to undergo the dope test.
Accepting the challenge, the Chief Minister on Thursday said he was willing to undergo a dope test.
Opposition leaders are demanding that the Chief Minister should ask his Cabinet members and Congress MLAs to take the test.
However, Amarinder Singh said that he would "leave it to the conscience of other elected representatives to take a decision on the same."
The Chief Minister had earlier ordered mandatory dope test for all state employees, including police during recruitment as well as during their service.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
