Political Slugfest Breaks Out in Punjab as Mann Govt Goes after Akali Dal Leaders

With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gunning for the top leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, a political slugfest has broken out with the opposition party accusing the Bhagwant Mann government of a “witch hunt” to cover up its “failures” on the law and order front.

The war of words was triggered after a senior minister in the Mann cabinet, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, threatened that there would be action against Sukhvilas Spa Resort owned by SAD chief Sukhbir Badal under the ongoing anti-encroachment drive.

“We will take action against the owners as the resort has been built violating norms,” Dhaliwal said.

The state government hasn’t stopped at that. It has reconstituted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is inquiring into the drugs case against former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia. The Mann government had been facing flak over no headway in the case.

IGP (Patiala range) MS Chhina will now head the SIT instead of DIG-cum-Vigilance Bureau Director Rahul S. The orders in this regard were issued by the Director of the Bureau of Investigation of the Punjab Police.

The other members of the SIT will, however, remain the same. They include AIG-rank officer Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Raghbir Singh (DSP, STF, Rupnagar), and Amarpreet Singh (DSP, Kharar-2). IG Gursharan Singh Sandhu will continue to supervise the progress made by the probe team.

This is the second time the SIT probing Majithia’s alleged role in helping drug smugglers has been reconstituted. Majithia was booked during the Congress regime in December 2021. The first SIT was headed by AIG Balraj Singh. After the AAP government took over in the state, it replaced AIG Balraj with IG Rahul S. However, the SIT failed to submit a challan against Majithia.

Earlier, Majithia had claimed innocence saying the police had no proof against him due to which it could not submit any challan. The SAD has accused the Mann government of playing politics by neither submitting a challan nor cancelling the case. “There was nothing new as the AAP government was forcing officers to toe its line. It is part of a political vendetta,” alleged senior Akali Dal leader.

The party has also challenged the AAP government to acquire the ‘Sukhvilas’ project if it had any tangible evidence of any wrongdoing. SAD accused AAP of raking up a non-issue to divert attention from its abysmal failures on all fronts.

“There is not an iota of truth in the statement being issued by Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. The project has not violated any law of the land. There is no illegality involved in the construction of the project,” Akali Dal spokesperson Maheshinder Singh Grewal said, adding that the land on which ‘Sukhvilas’ stands was an old property of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.