Defending Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's statement on the issue of drug menace in Punjab, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today lashed out at the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for running away from the real issue of drug addiction and unemployment in Punjab. “This is characteristic of Akalis to go into the denial mode and run away from the real problem”, he remarked.Reacting to Sukhbir Badal’s criticism of the Congress general secretary referring to the menace of drug addiction in Punjab, Capt Amarinder said, the Punjab government should instead take serious note of the issue and not go into the denial mode.Justifying the statement made by Mr Gandhi, the PCC President pointed out, it was the Akali government of Punjab which in the year 2009 submitted to the High Court that the youth in Punjab were afflicted by the problem of drug addiction.“Rahul Ji has only restated the facts Punjab government has submitted under oath to the Hon’ble High Court”, he pointed out, while remarking Sukhbir was either ignorant of the ground realities and the facts and figures accepted by his own government or was deliberately hiding the facts.The former Chief Minister regretted that instead of appreciating the concern of the Congress general secretary, the Punjab government has yet again gone into the denial mode. He also referred to the rejection of Punjab youth during the military recruitment as quite a number of them are found medically unfit.Capt Amarinder said, even a United Nations Development Fund survey had found that about 70 per cent of Punjab youth had tried one type of drug or the other at some point of time. “If Congress general secretary stated the same thing why are you feeling so much pained about it?” he asked Sukhbir while advising him that instead of going into the denial mode he should better find solution to the problem.