Punjab: AAP suspends 'vocal' MLA; party justifies action for going public

Chandigarh, June 29 Punjab ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) political affairs committee has suspended its “vocal” legislator from Amritsar (North), Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, for five years for opposing the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on charges of laundering more than Rs 540 crore of drug money.

Justifying the expulsion of the former Punjab Police Inspector-General, who joined AAP in 2021, ahead of the Assembly elections in 2022, party spokesperson Neel Garg said consistently making public statements against party activities “is against political decorum and is unacceptable under any circumstances”.

The Vigilance Bureau last week arrested Akali Dal former Minister Majithia from his residence in a posh locality in Amritsar city. Responding to his arrest, Kunwar Vijay said, “When Majithia-ji was in jail, the Bhagwant Mann government neither conducted any interrogation nor sought his remand and eventually allowed him bail.” However, Garg stated the action taken against Majithia has the full support of the government.

“For the first time, the people of Punjab feel that the government is genuinely taking action against the drug mafia. However, despite being an MLA from the party, Kunwar Vijay Pratap deliberately spoke against this action, which is entirely inappropriate,” he told the media in a statement. He said the AAP government is working with full commitment to eradicate drugs from Punjab.

“The Punjab Police is continuously cracking down on drug smugglers and sending them to jail. At such a time, statements like those made by Kunwar Vijay Pratap are highly condemnable and unfortunate,” he stated. Garg said, “If Kunwar Vijay Pratap had any objections, he could have raised them on the party platform or complained to the Chief Minister, but he chose to air his grievances publicly. This is clearly against party rules.

“Our goal is clear: to eradicate drugs, crime, and corruption from Punjab, and anyone hindering this fight will not be tolerated. There can be no compromise in the battle against drugs,” Garg asserted. The AAP spokesperson also highlighted that the action against Majithia is not only supported by the public but also by several former police officers and ex-Enforcement Directorate officials involved in the investigations against Majithia. These officials have been providing vital information about Majithia’s dubious activities to the Vigilance Department, he said.

He further said that during the Akali-BJP government, this investigation was obstructed, and efforts were made to protect Majithia. Garg said Akali Dal leaders, while in power, provided political patronage to drug mafias, which ruined the future of thousands of youth in Punjab and devastated countless families. “Now, the AAP government is bringing those involved in the drug trade to justice and ensuring justice for the affected families,” he added.

Last year, AAP legislator Vijay Pratap had accused his own party of having failed to fulfil its promises on drugs and sacrilege. He headed the Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents, besides sacrilege incidents. “Three years ago, on April 9, 2021, I resigned from the service of IPS. Where is justice in cases of Bargari sacrilege and police firing cases of Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan? We are standing in the same place as we were three years back. However, I have the same stand and will be as one. Justice will be done in the court of Guru Gobind Singh,” Kunwar Vijay had posted on his Facebook page in April 2024.

“The accused are dominating the government network… My battle will continue, and I am ready to face every torture,” he had added.

Vijay Pratap’s joining AAP was a shot in the arm for AAP during the 2022 Assembly polls as it gave enough “ammunition” to the party to corner both Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress on the issue of sacrileges.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor