Congress’s Sukhpal Singh Khaira said in a Facebook live that he was being arrested to settle political scores. (Screenshot)
An arrest that has AAP’s Punjab house divided
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The arrest of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Thursday morning evoked mixed reactions from within the ruling dispensation, with some AAP MLAs hailing the move, even as a handful resented the same. As soon as the news of Khaira’s arrest and his live video went viral, a few AAP leaders said that the arrest, especially when Khaira had tweeted against Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s “ostentatious” wedding, was ill-timed.
An AAP leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “Whatever may be the outcome of the case, Khaira exploited the event [Raghav Chadha’s wedding] as an opportunity. He went live on Facebook and garnered several positive response from the people. After this, who will wait for the final judgement in the case? That will take its own time. Today, Khaira is a hero and we made him that.”
Another leader agreed with him and added, “I have studied the case. Khaira may actually get convicted. I have seen the evidence. But the way the entire operation was carried out by raiding his house early in the morning and he was allowed to go live and make statements that his case was quashed by the Supreme Court, it seems like the situation was not handled properly. They should have asked him to join the investigation and then arrested him. Not only the people, but other political parties have also have now lent their support to Khaira and hit out at the AAP.”
The AAP leaders were also divided on whether the arrest would cast a shadow on the proposed alliance between the AAP and the Congress in Punjab. Those in favour of an alliance said that the arrest would make Punjab Congress leaders wary. “It is already on social media that AICC leader Sonia Gandhi went to meet AAP MP Sanjay Singh when he was suspended from Rajya Sabha. Dr Manmohan Singh attended the session on a wheelchair. Then all Congress MPs supported Raghav Chadha when the forged signatures controversy surrounded him. Now, Congress is saying that the AAP should not be trusted as they have arrested Khaira on vendetta. This has sent a wrong message.”
A few other leaders, however, said that the arrest would not bother the Congress high command. “They are not bothered about Punjab leaders. It is a fight for Congress’ survival. How will Khaira explain where he got Rs 28 lakh from? You will know in the days to come as to where he had got the Rs 28 lakh from,” said a leader.
AAP chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that the new SIT has found enough evidence during the investigation to prove that Khaira has been involved in drug smuggling. He said the AAP government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, was working rigorously to eliminate the drug mafia from Punjab and free the youth from drug addiction menace. The Mann government has zero tolerance against the drugs mafia. Anyone involved in drug trafficking, no matter how influential they are, will not be spared.
He added that Khaira’s arrest has no political vendetta behind it. His arrest was made on the basis of evidence found against him during the SIT investigation. “We have a government in Punjab for more than a year-and-a-half now. If this was about political revenge, he would have been arrested much earlier.”
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Kang said that in 2022, the Supreme Court had given relief to Khaira, but the court had clearly written in its order that the Punjab Police can re-investigate the case. Based on the order of the Supreme Court, a SIT of Punjab Police started re-investigating the case.
Kang said that Manjeet Singh and Gurdev Singh, against whom allegations of drug smuggling were made in a case during the SAD-BJP government in 2015, both of them are very close to Khaira. That is why ED had also registered a case of money laundering against Khaira at that time and he had also gone to jail in that case. Kang said that this matter is very serious because it has its connection from Pakistan to the UK.
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Appealing to all the political parties of Punjab, Kang said that if the opposition parties want to eliminate drugs from Punjab, then they shouldn’t oppose the arrest of Khaira.
