The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday demanded that the Aam Aadmi Party convener clarify why no action had been taken against AAP legislator Sheetal Angural for allegedly providing patronage to “United Kingdom-based drug kingpin Munish Thakur” during his visit to Punjab.
Addressing a press conference, SAD chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler alleged that Thakur was closely associated with Angural, with the latter reportedly staying with him during visits to the UK. “Since a drug trafficking case has been filed against Thakur, whom the AAP government alleges is running an international drug trafficking racket, the AAP legislator should also be implicated in the case and arrested for aiding drug smugglers,” he said.
Kler further alleged collusion between AAP officials and drug smugglers, citing concerns about smugglers escaping justice, as noted by the Punjab and Haryana high court. Alleging that Angural has a checkered history, and pas previously been accused of criminal activities, he said, “Despite this, he seems to be a prominent figure within the AAP, which indicates that the spoils of ill-gotten wealth are reaching the party’s upper echelons,” Kler said. He called for an independent high-level investigation into the matter and demanded Angural’s immediate arrest to ensure a fair probe.
In response, Angural denied the allegations, saying that Thakur also had a long-standing association with senior leaders of the Akali Dal, with photos of him attending SAD rallies publicly available. “During my family visit to the UK, I met over 250 individuals over nine days, and Thakur was one of them. However, I had no knowledge of his involvement in any drug-related activities. Thakur supported my election campaign and later backed AAP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election,” he said, adding, “Being an MLA, I meet scores of people every day and it is not possible to scrutinise all their backgrounds,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}In response, Angural denied the allegations, saying that Thakur also had a long-standing association with senior leaders of the Akali Dal, with photos of him attending SAD rallies publicly available. “During my family visit to the UK, I met over 250 individuals over nine days, and Thakur was one of them. However, I had no knowledge of his involvement in any drug-related activities. Thakur supported my election campaign and later backed AAP candidate Sushil Kumar Rinku in the Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election,” he said, adding, “Being an MLA, I meet scores of people every day and it is not possible to scrutinise all their backgrounds,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The SAD spokesperson is spreading misinformation in the public, and I intend to take legal action against Kler for tarnishing my reputation. Tomorrow, I will release images of SAD leaders with Munish,” Angural said.