AAP’S ANTI-DRUG DRIVE LOSING STEAM
Saturday, 16/05/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
JALANDHAR: Launched with much fanfare in February this year, the much anticipated ‘Punjab Against Drug’ campaign of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to have lost its momentum.
Lack of organisational structure, untrained party workers, and factionalism in the party in various parts of districts has affected the campaign heavily.
The response on AAP’s drug helpline (98144-45555) which was launched on February 25 in Punjab, has also dipped sharply for which the party leaders are blaming the recent controversies at national and state levels.
As many as 6,000 calls have been received on the helpline till date in two and half months however a major chunk of 4,000 calls were received in the beginning 15 days.
Under campaign, AAP had also a created Facebook page ‘Punjab Against Drugs’ which has not been updated since April 20. The last update on the page is a news item from Jagraon, where AAP claimed that its party worker was allegedly beaten by drug peddlers.
The sources said that in many districts the party is yet to prepare its organisational structure, something which has to be done before the campaign can be started. A city like Nawanshahr, where AAP’s candidate Himmat Singh Shergill got the highest votes among all party candidates in the state in the Lok Sabha elections, has failed to hold any meeting in this regard.
