The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday said it would not succumb to pressure from any quarter for the resignation of revenue minister Bikram Majithia as the latter was not guilty of any wrongdoing and had merely been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
In a statement here, senior SAD leaders Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the SAD had the highest regard for the rule of law and its track record of probity in public life was "among the best of all political parties in the country". Expressing surprise at the call for Majithia's resignation, they said that in the past various agencies and the courts had summoned many senior leaders of "both national parties", including chief ministers, but they never resigned from their posts. Recently a court had also summoned a Union minister after grave allegations against him but he was yet to put in his papers, they added.
"The SAD would be the first to act in case of any wrongdoing by any member. In the case of Bikram Majithia, the party is convinced that he has not committed any wrong as five central investigating agencies have probed the allegations during the Congress-led UPA rule and found nothing wrong against him," the SAD leaders said.
They added, "Majithia is a young leader who is an example for others because he is not only a teetotaler but also very religious and spiritual in his outlook." He was also at the forefront in defending the SAD, they argued: "It is because of these reasons that a deliberate attempt is being made to tarnish Majithia's image".
{{/usCountry}}They added, "Majithia is a young leader who is an example for others because he is not only a teetotaler but also very religious and spiritual in his outlook." He was also at the forefront in defending the SAD, they argued: "It is because of these reasons that a deliberate attempt is being made to tarnish Majithia's image".
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