“Vendetta politics vs zero tolerance policy”: INDIA’s AAP, Congress at loggerheads in Punjab

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India]: The cracks between the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, “like-minded” parties in the INDIA bloc, in Punjab have widened after Sukhpal Singh Khaira, MLA from the grand old party, was arrested by the state police early in the morning, a move that brought the Bhagwant Mann government heavy criticism.

Hours after their MLA Sukhpal was arrested by state police from his Chandigarh residence in connection with a 2015 drug case, the Punjab Congress accused the AAP-led state government of vendetta politics, a charge which the ruling party denies, saying that it is part of their “zero-tolerance policy” against drug smugglers.

Punjab Police arrested Khaira from his Chandigarh residence earlier this morning in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The Congress leader was later sent to two-day police custody.

Protests broke out in several districts across the state with Congress workers agitating against the AAP government.

A Congress delegation also called on Governor Banwari Lal Purohit at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh and briefed him about the arrest of Khaira in detail.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the Governor, Congress Punjab unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the border state has turned into Jungle Raj.

“We briefed the Governor about everything that happened with Sukhpal Singh Khaira. How a false case was booked. How jungle raj has begun in Punjab. How vendetta politics is being done by involving him in an 8-year-old case…A case was registered and police came directly to catch him,” the Congress leader said.

Warring hoped the Governor would take cognizance of the matter.

“We can’t be silent. We will fight till the end…People know what the truth is…We hope that the Governor will take cognisance,” he added

Moreover, the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that a kidnapping case should be registered against “those police officers” for “forcibly entering” the Chandigarh residence of the party leader early in the morning.

The state LoP said that Punjab Police cannot enter Chandigarh as it is a Union Territory (UT). “Before arresting Sukhpal Singh Khaira or entering the house, did they (police officers) take the nod of the DG and the SSP of Chandigarh? I am sure they did not,” the Congress leader said.

“Because in the morning when Khaira was being arrested they (police) forcibly entered his house. They broke open the outer door…went into his house. Khaira repeatedly asked whether they have arrest warrants from the court? Is the Chandigarh Police accompanying you? All police officers had no answer to this… We’ve requested the Governor that if it is proved that the Punjab Police officials entered without informing the UT police then a kidnapping case should be registered against them,” he added.

When asked about the motive of Khaira’s arrest, Bajwa said that the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wants to damage the image of the Congress Party as it is the primary opponent in the border state.

He said that the Congress leaders are planning to organize a big dharna in Bathinda tomorrow against the arrest.

Meanwhile, responding to the Opposition’s charges, Punjab AAP senior spokesperson Jagtar Singh Dyalpura said that the allegations do not hold any ground as the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann government in the border state has a zero-tolerance policy against drug smugglers.

Dyalpura said that “sufficient admissible evidence” has been found against the Congress leader and that the case has links from Pakistan to England.

While speaking to media, Jagtar Singh said, “The case is about Sukhpal’s involvement in a drug smuggling case. This is an old case. A case was registered in 2015. Sukhpal had connections with one of the accused. But, the then government led by SAD didn’t book him. But as the case came closer to verdict, the judge noted that Sukhpal’s name was emerging many times.”

Earlier, in 2015, two cases originated with the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards and the second of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.

As the trial went on, nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case. As per the chargesheet, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is accused of having sheltered him.

The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.

On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case.