Lagatar24 Desk
Chandigarh, Sep 28: Sukhpal Singh Khaira, a Congress MLA, was taken into custody by Punjab police on Thursday in relation to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
A team from the Punjab Police raided Khaira’s home on Thursday early in the morning in connection with an old case that had been filed in 2015 in Jalalabad, Fazilka, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
While the police were rummaging through his home this morning, Khaira was hosting a Facebook Live in which he could be seen squabbling with them. In the video, a police officer can be heard telling Khaira that a SIT has been established in an old drug smuggling case.
As the police detain Khaira, he can also be seen shouting “Punjab Sarkar Murdabad” in the footage.
Sukhpal Khaira is the chairman of the All India Kisan Congress and an MLA from Bholath in the Punjab city of Kapurthala.
Partap Singh Bajwa, a senior leader of the Congress and Leader of the Congress party in the Punjab assembly, questioned the imprisonment of Khaira and claimed that the AAP administration in that province had turned to low-level vendetta politics.
“The arrest of Senior Congress Leader and Bolath MLA @SukhpalKhaira is extremely deplorable. The @AAPPunjab govt has stooped to an all-time low and resorted to vendetta politics. Sukhpal Singh Khaira has been outspoken and raised his voice against the wrongdoings and irregularities committed by the CM @BhagwantMann’s govt. The Punjab Congress under the ambit of law will leave no stone unturned to get him released” Partap Singh Bajwa said in a post on X.
The arrest of Senior Congress Leader and Bolath MLA @SukhpalKhaira is extremely deplorable. The @AAPPunjab govt has stooped to an all-time low and resorted to vendetta politics.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira has been outspoken and raised his voice against the wrongdoings and…— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) September 28, 2023
In a show of support, Congress’s arch-opposition in the state, the Shiromani Akali Dal, denounced the Punjab administration for its arbitrary behaviour.
In a post on X the Akali Dal said “Political differences aside- Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar condemns the arrest borne out of the witch hunt and political vendetta against Bholath MLA and a very respected @SukhpalKhaira Ji a fierce critic of @BhagwantMann and @AAPPunjab led @PunjabGovtIndia. What promised to be a ‘badlav’ is turning out to be a horror show.”
The AAP and Congress, who have joined up to create the INDIA coalition at the centre, are poised to see additional deterioration in their relationship as a result of Sukhpal Khaira’s detention. Any alliance or seat-sharing plan with the AAP in Punjab has been opposed by the Congress’ state unit.
