Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) why no action was being taken against its MlA and the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Singh Khaira even after he was accused of appropriating money packets from party supporters by his own party colleagues.
“It seemed Khaira had some hold over AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal which is saving him from being sacked,” said senior SAD leader and MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra.
He said that it was shocking that AAP convener Kejriwal, who reportedly claimed to have zero tolerance for corruption, was refusing to take action against Khaira even after he was accused of collecting money packets from AAP workers in Patiala by none other than the party’s state co-president Dr Balbir Singh.
“Earlier Kejriwal had not taken action against Khaira even when the latter had supported Referendum 2020 which called for separating Punjab from India. Before that, Kejriwal had not moved against Khiara when the latter was summoned as an accused in a trans-border drug and arms smuggling case by a Fazilka court,” he pointed.
Prof Chandumajra added that all this gave an impression that the leader of Opposition has some hold over the AAP convener due to which the latter is unable to take action against Khaira. “There can be no other explanation. AAP’s former state convener Suchha Singh Chhotepur was sacked on the basis of a disputed cash packet sting operation. In Khaira’s case, the charges are even more serious because they have been leveled by the courts as well as party colleagues. Still he is immune from all action by the party,” he said.
Stating these double standards had exposed AAP’s tall claims of being a party with a difference, Chandumajra said that AAP had thrown all morality and ethics to the wind by refusing to take action even in cases involving drugs, national security and corruption in Khaira’s case and woman safety in the case of legislator Amarjit Sandoa.
“Despite such serious charges, Khaira is sticking on to his chair by threatening the AAP high command into submission. Kejriwal must come clean over the hold Khaira has on him,” he added.