AAP MLA Aman Arora undergoes dope test in Punjab. Here's why

"Dope test of government servants for recruitment/promotions proposed by Punjab government is a welcome step. Must be made mandatory for all MLAs and MPs from state," Tewari tweeted.

Picture: Aman Arora (Twitter handle)

Chandigarh: In a rather unusual instance, a Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA undertook a dope test on Thursday at a government hospital in Mohali. Aman Arora became the first MLA in Punjab to undergo dope test at CMO in Mohali. The development comes a day after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered mandatory dope tests of all government employees, including police personnel, from the time of their recruitment through every stage of their service. Arora, MLA from Sunam, voluntarily underwent the test in a bid to set an example. The move was welcomed by Congress leader Manish Tewari. "Dope test of government servants for recruitment/promotions proposed by Punjab government is a welcome step. Must be made mandatory for all MLAs and MPs from state," Tewari tweeted.

Dope Test of Govt Servants for recruitment/promotions proposed by Punjab Govt is a welcome step.Must be made mandatory for all MLA’s& MP’s from state. It would not only set an example but unreasonable classification between two classes of Public Servants may not meet test of law

— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 5, 2018

"It would not only set an example but will also remove the unreasonable classification between two classes of public servants." Punjab has been reeling with drug issues since several years and drug overdose has claimed a hundreds of lives in the state that shares its porous border with Pakistan from where drug trafficking is still rampant. Couple of days ago the Punjab cabinet decided to recommend to the Centre death penalty for drug peddlers and smugglers. The Congress government has often been criticised for not doing enough to eradicate the drug menace. "The Chief Minister has ordered drug screening to be done in all cases of recruitment and promotions as well as the annual medical examination that certain employees are required to undergo in accordance with the nature of their duties," a government spokesperson was quoted by news agency IANS. Dope test would be made mandatory for all recruitment as well as promotions to be made by various Punjab government departments, he added.