Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday targeted the Congress government in Punjab alleging that it is not being able to arrest SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Taking on the Charanjit Singh Channi-led regime, Kejriwal, whose AAP is the main opposition party in Punjab, said the state government does not have the courage to arrest the former Punjab minister.
Majithia has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on the basis of a 2018 report of a probe into a drug racket in the state.
He is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and brother of former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
“They (the state government) have just registered an FIR and then boasted about it,” Kejriwal, who is the chief minister of Delhi, said when asked a question on Majithia.
“It took them five years to register an FIR,” he said and asked how many days have passed since the registration of the case.
They do not have the courage to arrest him, said Kejriwal while talking to reporters in Amritsar in poll-bound Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}They do not have the courage to arrest him, said Kejriwal while talking to reporters in Amritsar in poll-bound Punjab.
{{/usCountry}}He slammed the state government for not having been able to nab Majithia despite his anticipatory bail being rejected in the Mohali court.
How many days have passed since the rejection of the anticipatory bail and till now, arrest has not been made, he said.
Kejriwal alleged that the Congress government was least bothered about drug menace and sacrilege issues, and added that only fight for chair is going on in the ruling party.
After the Mohali court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea, Majithia had moved the high court.
AAP promises quality education to all SC students
In Amritsar, Kejriwal promised to provide quality education to every child of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community if his party is voted to power in Punjab.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal paid obeisance at the Ram Tirath Temple in Amritsar, the ashram of Maharishi Valmiki and the birthplace of Lord Rama’s sons Luv-Kush. On this occasion, the Sant Samaj honoured the AAP convener with a mace.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal made four promises related to the Dalit children, sanitation workers, Sant Samaj and sewer men.
“I guarantee education of all Dalit children to fulfil the dreams of Maharishi Valmiki and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. Equality can be brought in the society only by giving good education to children of the poor and downtrodden,” said Kejriwal.
He also agreed to Sant Samaj’s demand to dissolve the shrine board and promised that if voted to power, his party’s government will hand over the responsibility of running the temple to the society.
Making the third promise, Kejriwal said the AAP government will regularise services of all sanitation workers in Punjab. He also promised to provide safety kits to all the sewer men. “We will give machines to those who go to sewer and clean them by hand so that they can do their business,” he added.
AAP chief visits Dera Sachkhand Ballan
JALANDHAR: Eyeing Dalit votes, Kejriwal visited Ravidassia community’s Dera Sachkhand Ballan in Jalandhar and met its chief Niranjan Das. He was accompanied by party’s state unit chief Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema. Kejriwal said Dera Sachkhand Ballan has played an important role in promoting communal brotherhood and equality.