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SAD chief Sukhbir Badal meets Bikram Majithia in Patiala jail
SAD president Sukhbir Badal was accompanied by his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal as they called on her brother Bikram Majithia at Patiala jail on his birthday
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday met senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia at the Central Jail, Patiala, where he is lodged in a drug case. Sukhbir was accompanied by his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal as they called on her brother on his birthday.
“Majithia is in ‘chardi kala’ (high spirits). The entire party and all right-thinking people cutting across party lines stand solidly behind him,” said the former Punjab deputy chief minister after the meeting. Calling it a case of political vendetta, Sukhbir alleged the former Akali minister had been booked in a false case by a “tainted director general of police” on directions of the Congress government.
“Mr Majithia is totally innocent and we have full faith in judiciary,” he said. Majithia, who was booked in an NDPS case in December last year, had surrendered before a Mohali court on February 24, which sent him to judicial custody till March 8. A day later, the court denied him bail, stated that being a powerful politician he could influence the investigation if released.
On Ukraine crisis
Addressing a press conference, Sukhbir urged the Government of India to further expedite its rescue operations to save every Indian student and other citizens of the country trapped in war-torn Ukraine.
The SAD chief said the state government was in a “sleep mode” over the matter and was showing no interest in saving the hapless Punjabi students stranded in the East European country.
“The Congress and AAP leaders and ministers, who miss no opportunity to speak on any inane issue, have gone into hiding when Punjabi students are facing extreme crisis,” he alleged, while asking the state chief secretary to immediately dispatch some senior officers to the troubled spots and coordinate with the Centre to help in the rescue mission.
On bollworm alert
Amid the Central Institute of Cotton Research sounding the pink bollworm alarm in the region, Sukhbir expressed concern over the looming threat that had swept Punjab’s cotton belt even last year.
“It’s a serious threat and if allowed to grow, it will devastate the cotton farmers in the state,” he said, while accusing the state government of a “lacklustre and sluggish response” so far.
Sukhbir said experts, including those from the Punjab Agricultural University, should immediately rush to the affected areas and help farmers with the necessary know-how to contain the menace.
He also wanted deputy commissioners to prepare for early assessment of losses suffered or likely to be suffered by farmers and announcement of full compensation to affected cotton growers by the government.
On BBMB row
The Akali president said that his party rejects the clarification given by the Centre on its “utterly disastrous decision on Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)”.
While claiming that the SAD-BSP alliance was set to win the Punjab elections with a thumping majority, he reiterated his party’s commitment to a genuine federal structure in the country and said his government will force the Government of India to ensure “total fiscal autonomy to states whose powers have been usurped by the Centre over the years”.
As per norms, BBMB’s member (power) comes from Punjab and member (irrigation) from Haryana. However, the Centre has removed these provisions, leading to objections from Punjab-based politicians, who claim the move violates the state’s rights.
