Punjab Congress MLA The arrest of Sukhpal Singh Khaira by the Punjab Police in connection with a drug case has created trouble in paradise as the two political party allies appear to be locked in a battle in the Punjab ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress.
Punjab is ruled by AAP leader Bhagwant Mann. Khaira’s arrest has earned CM Mann severe condemnation from the Punjab Congress leaders despite the need for a united front as part of the opposition INDIA bloc.
However, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said his party remains committed to the opposition INDIA bloc and their ‘Mission 2024’.
CM Kejriwal said, “We are fully committed to the alliance with India. We will not part with the alliance under any circumstances. I have come to know that the Punjab Police arrested a Congress leader yesterday. I don’t have the details of it; The Punjab Police will tell. But we have waged a war on drugs. I don’t want to comment on individual cases or individuals, but we are committed to ending drug addiction. In this war on drugs, no one, no matter how big or small, will not be spared.”
His comments assume significance in the backdrop of Congress’s Punjab unit accusing the AAP government of indulging in political revenge following the arrest of Congress MP Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a 2015 drug trafficking case.
However, the AAP has rejected the allegation and said the action against the Bholath legislator was taken in accordance with the law.
Regional differences are not uncommon among the opposition INDIA bloc parties, and this is certainly not the first point of contention for the INDIA bloc parties.
Several opposition parties have come together to form the opposition INDIA bloc with the aim of halting the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) attempt to register a third straight victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls to thwart.
Notably, the Punjab Congress has already opposed any alliance with the ruling AAP in the state for the 2024 general elections.
Punjab Congress MLA Khaira arrested
The Punjab Police arrested Congress MLA Khaira from his residence in Chandigarh earlier on Friday in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The Punjab Congress has been severely critical of the Bhagwant Mann government over Khaira’s arrest for alleged political revenge by the state government.
This was said by Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. “This is a very wrong thing to do. This is all vendetta politics. No case of any kind is made out. When we reached Jalalabad police station, they did not open the lock. Someone told me that the CIA staff had taken him (Sukhpal Singh Khaira) to Fazilka. We reached here but were not allowed to meet Khaira. SSP told us there are orders from above.”
Sukhpal Khaira’s arrest is expected to further damage relations between AAP and Congress, which have come together to form the INDIA alliance at the Centre. The Congress state unit has opposed any seat-sharing arrangement with the AAP in Punjab.
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Updated: Sep 29, 2023 3:37 PM IST