Sukhpal Singh Khaira, the Congress MLA from Bhothal, was arrested by the Punjab Police on September 28 in a drug case dating back to 2015. The lawmaker was picked up from his residence in Chandigarh in the early hours of the day, around 6 a.m. In the morning, the incident was streamed live on social media by his son.
Although the police were yet to make a statement when the preliminary reports came out, officials could be heard in the video telling Khaira that the case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Jalalabad, Fazilka eight years ago.
The manner in which Khaira was arrested drew condemnation from a slew of opposition parties in Punjab. “If MLAs are treated like this, what chance does the common man have?,” said Sangrur MP and SAD (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann, tweeting the video of the arrest.
Khaira, a fierce instigator of the state’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had in his last social media post before the arrest severely criticized the “lavish” expenditure during the wedding of AAP MP Raghav Chaddha and actress Parineeti Chopra.
On ₹2.44 lakh” as per the tax data for financial year 2020-21.
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“Will @raghav_chadha have the decency to clarify how he managed to gift a very expensive 4 carat diamond ring to his newlywed wife @ParineetiChopra (more than 10 times his declared income) when his income as per ITR 2020-21 is only 2.44 Lacs amounts to “While she as a celebrity gifted him a ring of lesser value? What is the truth? Punjab BADLAV wants to know? (sic)” Khaira had tweeted.
Apart from questioning the diamond ring gifted to Chopra, Khaira also condemned the AAP for the ‘dazzling cavalcades’ seen at the wedding in Udaipur on September 24. Chaddha, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had ‘once promised not to take up government’. -got a house, car etc and promised to end VIP culture… now they have not only broken their vows but are also the new VVIPs of India,” he had said in another post said on social media.
The war of words intensifies
After Khaira’s arrest, the war of words between the Congress and the AAP – both members of the INDIA coalition – intensified as the former sided with the arrested lawmaker.
“The recent arrest of MLA Sukhpal Khaira smacks of political revenge. It is an attempt to intimidate the opposition and is a ploy by the AAP government in Punjab to distract (people) from core issues. We stand strongly behind Sukhpal Khaira and will take this fight to its logical conclusion,” said Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, president of the Punjab Congress.
Opposition leader and Congress veteran Partap Singh Bajwa also condemned the arrest while visiting Khaira’s family members and assured them of the party’s support.
The AAP refuted the charge of political vendetta and claimed that Khaira’s involvement in the drug trade was “known”.
“The law will take its own course. It is known that Sukhpal Khaira ji indulged in drug trafficking. He always got protection from previous governments. Now a proper investigation will be conducted,” AAP MP Sushil Gupta said.
‘False implication’
Khaira’s son and lawyer Mehtab Singh Khaira released a statement claiming that his father was targeted due to “false implications”, and the arrest was made on the direct orders of Bhagwant Mann.
“This is the same case that was quashed by the Supreme Court of India. The police have bypassed all procedures and even a Supreme Court order to silence the voice of a strong and vocal leader. My father told me to let everyone know that he is not afraid of false implications and he will fight for Punjab till the end,” the statement said.
Bajwa said the arrest was “extremely regrettable” and that the ruling AAP has stooped to “new lows” in state politics.
Notably, the drug case was registered in Jalalabad in March 2015 and nine people were arrested in the case and later convicted under the NDPS Act. Police had seized 2 kg of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, a country-made pistol, a pistol with a .315 bore and two Pakistani SIM cards.
Khaira’s name later surfaced during the police investigation. However, in 2017, the Supreme Court stayed the trial against Khaira, who was summoned as an additional suspect in the case. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021 on charges of money laundering in connection with the 2015 drug case. He was granted bail in 2022.
In February 2023, the apex court quashed the summons against Khaira in the drugs case.
SAD (Amritsar) and Sirsa of BJP are lending support
SAD (Amritsar), led by Simranjeet Singh Mann, opposed Khaira’s arrest, saying the action appears to be the result of a “witch hunt” and “political vendetta”.
“Apart from the political differences, Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar condemns the arrest arising out of the witch hunt and political vendetta against Bholath MLA and a highly respected @SukhpalKhaira Ji, a fierce critic of @BhagwantMann and @AAPPunjab-led @PunjabGovtIndia. What promised to be a ‘badlav’ has turned out to be a horror show,” the party tweeted.
Support for Khaira from the Congress also came from Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a former MLA from Delhi from the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“I remember a statement from Arvind Kejriwal where he said, ‘Give me the police and see what I will do’ so that he knows what is being done. If someone is accused of something, he must first be summoned and reported to the police. investigation and if he doesn’t reply, arrest him…Punjab police are being misused…action is being taken against opposition leaders for speaking out against the government,” the BJP leader said.
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Updated: Sep 28, 2023 4:23 PM IST
