Pressing for their demand to order CBI probe into Rs 6,000 crore drug racket and immediate dismissal and arrest of State Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Punjab Congress on Sunday started “chain hunger strike” at Congress Bhawan here.
leading from the front, state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa started the hunger strike along with nine other senior party leaders, including former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former State Finance Minister laal Singh. Bajwa, addressing the party workers, said that Congress will intensify the agitation if Punjab Government does not order a CBI probe into the matter. “The chain hunger strike will continue till the whole drug racket is exposed and culprits are brought to book,” he added.
In the meantime, the party would announce a new programme of agitation, he said, adding that every day party leaders including MlAs and DCC presidents from two assembly constituencies would sit on the chain hunger strike.
“In the evening, candle march would be held in Sector 17 plaza at Chandigarh,” said Bajwa, thanking the Congress workers and common people for huge response to chakka jam agitation on January 16 and appealed to the people of Punjab, all NGOs, social and religious organisations to support the war against drugs. “Congress is using peaceful and democratic methods to shake the conscience of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is shielding Majithia due to close family ties,” he added.
Bajwa said that he had written a letter on January 8 to the Chief Minister to take action against Majithia and two more ministers suspected to be involved in the drug trafficking. “Jagdish Singh Bhola, the main accused in the multi-crore synthetic drug racket unearthed by Punjab police last year, has made serious allegation against Majithia and labelled him as the mastermind of drug racket,” he pointed. “Earlier, police had arrested Maninder Singh Aulakh and Jagjit Singh Chahal close confidants of Majithia and general secretary of Youth Akali Dal,” he alleged.
Police have claimed to arrest about 50 persons on the basis of confessions made by Bhola; and now separate yardsticks were being used for Majithia, who is also named by Bhola, the Congress leader said. He said that instead of seeking an apology from the people of Punjab and taking action against key operators of drug trade, Badal has been using Government machinery and legal system to protect Majithia.