Congress on Wednesday found itself on the edge in its attempts to corner the ruling combine in the drug case.
“I hope and believe that Bikram Singh Majithia is not involved in the drug case. I am saying this on the floor of the House,” said Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Jakhar, while at the same time holding him responsible for shielding those people involved in the drug trade. Jakhar, while speaking on the Governor’s Address, said that he smelt something fishy when Bhola named him in the court premises in the presence of entire media.
“Majithia has great potential…I still remember his first speech…I feel there’s something fishy when Bhola named him on January 6…entire media was invited to the court on that day….it was done by someone who fears his potential,” said Jakhar, in an apparent attempt to create rift within the family and the party.
Opposition’s repeated attempts to attack the treasury benches on the issue of alleged involvement of Majithia and son of Jails Minister Swaran Singh Phillaur in the multi-crore drug case, coupled with registration of complaint against local bodies Minister Anil Joshi for obtaining dual votes was sabotaged one after another by the ruling legislators.
Preparing since long to take on the ruling combine on these issues, the Congress could not assert its point in the House. Attribute it to the Congress’ weakness, or SAD-BJP’s strategy, the issues failed to put the State Government on the back foot even once. When Jakhar raised Joshi’s dual-vote issue in the Zero Hour, it was the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who came to his rescue maintaining that the “matter is in the Court of Amritsar Judicial Magistrate and we would go by what he decides, and thus, we cannot take any decision”.
Even as Joshi wanted to explain his point, the Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal did not let him speak. Continuing, Jakhar tried to point finger on Phillaur for his son’s involvement, which was against interrupted by Badal saying that the probe was underway in the matter. Stepping in, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said that he was not expecting a leader like Jakhar to come ill-prepared.
“Congress has no issue…every one is aware what is happening in the country. We can understand the frustration within Congress party, but it does not mean that you take it out here by making vague allegations on us….you know from where drugs come. We have arrested over 23,000 people,” said Sukhbir. At the same time, Badal offered to have separate discussion on the issue of drugs.
In the meantime, Majithia hinted at the allegations on the State Congress chief for having alleged links with the drug smugglers. Amidst the uproar in the Assembly when the treasury and Opposition benches had heated exchange of words, Majithia said that there was no iota of doubt on the Punjab Police’s investigations by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He also questioned that in case Congress leaders Partap Singh Bajwa and Jagmeet Brar had so much evidence against him, “why they have not placed it before the High Court” when they filed a plea seeking CBI probe in the matter” which was eventually turned down.