Dope test challenge sets off war of words in Dharamkot amid Punjab's anti-drug campaign
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Bathinda: Amid the Punjab government's ongoing anti-drug campaign, 'Yudh Nashia Virudh', a heated social media exchange erupted between Iqbal Singh, brother of former Congress MLA from Dharamkot Sukhjit Singh Lohgarh, and AAP MLA Devinderjit Singh Ladi Dhos, over the campaign's execution and impact.
In a social media post, Iqbal Singh challenged Ladi Dhos to urge the chief minister and health minister to establish a high-powered committee tasked with conducting dope tests on the MLA and the coordinators of the 'Yudh Nashia Virudh' campaign in Dharamkot. Singh asserted that the findings of such a committee would be fully accepted by them, and if the results validated the campaign, they would acknowledge its authenticity.
Responding to the challenge, Ladi Dhos announced via social media that he would visit Lohgarh village, which is home of the former Congress MLA, in the Dharamkot assembly constituency, Moga district, on Sunday. He invited Iqbal Singh to bring a team of doctors of his choice to ensure transparency and eliminate any doubts regarding the dope test results.
As announced, the MLA reached Lohgarh village gurdwara on Sunday for his dope test, but no one was there from the other side.
MLA Ladi Dhos then made various allegations against the former MLA and his brother of sand mining and selling posts of sarpanches during his tenure.
The MLA said, "I went for the dope test and waited for over two hours for others to come, but nobody reached to conduct the test as I asked them to come with a team of doctors for the test. It seems they only wanted to attract attention by putting up a fake challenge."
Iqbal Singh countered the allegations, stating that only one and a half years are left in the completion of the tenure, and people will tell who did what in their respective tenures.
As for coming to Lohgarh village with a team of doctors, we do not believe in personal fights. We asked him to get the dope test of the MLA and all coordinators done by a high-powered committee formed by the state govt.
Earlier, during the previous Congress govt, a war of words had ensued between then SAD president and Jalalabad MLA Sukhbir Singh Badal and the then Zira Congress MLA Kulbir Singh Zira over the issue of drugs. Kulbir Singh Zira had challenged Sukhbir Badal to get dope tests conducted at Thatha Kishan Singh village in Zira on Jan 29, 2019, when Sukhbir was to visit the village. Kulbir Zira made the health authorities set up a counter for conducting a dope test at Thatha Kishan Singh village.
Zira got his test conducted, which was negative, but Sukhbir questioned the authority of Zira in asking for the test.
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