People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Badal on Wednesday strongly condemned what he described as the “nefarious design of the ruling party to implicate Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira under political vendetta”.
“Khaira is one of the most vocal critics of the present regime who has been exposing misdeeds of those in power from time to time and thus has become a thorn in the flesh. linking his name to an alleged smuggler is part of the plan to silence him. It is too well known a tactic of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to pressurize the opponents by registering false cases against them and then withdrawing the same when they fall in line,” said Manpreet, also Sukhbir’s cousin.
Referring to Khaira’s challenge to the State Government to order judicial probe against him by a sitting judge of the High Court or recommend investigation by the CBI, the former Finance Minister said that in case there was any truth in the allegations leveled by the police, the Government should accept this challenge.
“While efforts are being made to frame Khaira in this false case as Gurdev Singh had been his erstwhile supporter, the Government has been silent about the revelations made by the accused in Rs6,000 crore drug racket against Bikram Majithia,” pointed Manpreet.
Termed as strange the refuge taken by Majithia that he was being involved as part of the political conspiracy, Manpreet dared him to come out with the names of those who were behind it.“It is the BJP Government at the Centre in which his sister is a Cabinet Minister and he himself is a minister in Punjab. The conspiracy could be hatched only by those in power and not by the Opposition. In this context, Majithia’s defence is laughable,” he added.