Chandigarh, Mar 10 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian on Monday alleged that the drugs menace had spread its tentacles in Haryana and demanded the government take strong steps to check its proliferation.

Participating in a discussion on the governor's address in the Haryana Assembly, Kadian also took on the state government over the alleged shortage of teachers and doctors in many schools and hospitals, respectively.

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While Kadian was speaking, BJP members took objection and referred to a case involving the party's Haryana chief Mohan Lal Badoli in which the Himachal Pradesh Police had recently filed a cancellation report in a court.

They reminded Kadian that he was digressing and not speaking about the governor's address.

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About the address delivered by the governor on the first day of the budget session on March 7, Kadian said that since it reflected the government's vision, the government should have spelled out how it intended to pull out youngsters from the drugs menace and the steps it planned to take to tackle unemployment.

"Before 2014, the drugs issue was only limited to Punjab's periphery... Now, the drugs menace has penetrated the villages, too. You will find pouches, injections here and there as youngsters are falling prey to drugs. If strong steps are not taken by the government now, our youngsters and their futures will be destroyed," Kadian said.

He also said Haryana minister and senior BJP leader Anil Vij had said Badoli should resign as the saffron party's state chief after being booked in a rape case till he was found innocent in the Himachal Pradesh Police's investigation.

Six people, including a woman who had accused Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape, were recently booked for extortion and criminal intimidation.

In a related development, the Himachal Pradesh Police recently filed a cancellation report in a local court in the alleged rape case against Badoli and Mittal.

As Kadian raised the matter to target the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda objected and reminded the Congress member that he was digressing and had not spoken on the governor's address.

Speaker Harvinder Kalyan also told Kadian that "discussions cannot take place on the basis of mere statements".

Later, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reiterated to reporters that the state government was making serious efforts to eradicate the drugs menace from its roots.

A regional committee comprising Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh had been formed, with regular meetings held to address the issue, he said.

Joint operations are being conducted with neighbouring states to curb the cross-border movement of drugs. Strict action is being taken against the drugs menace and this would be further intensified, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)