Giving a week’s time to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to hand over investigation of the multi-crore drug racket case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) besides registration of a criminal case against Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia and his expulsion from the Cabinet, the Punjab Congress on Tuesday threatened of a State-wide bandh on January 16.
Putting Punjab Government on guard, the Congress has asked Chief Minister to act on the party’s demand within seven days lest it would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the matter. In addition to the mass protests by the party’s youth leaders, Women wing, and the student body - National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) from January 11 to 13, the party has also planned to “gherao” Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on January 20 in case the Congress demand was not met.
If this is not enough to book Majithia and for ousting him from the Cabinet, the party will go on an indefinite hunger strike in Mohali from January 21. “We are giving the Chief Minister enough time to act against his Minister who was accused by 6,000 crore drug racket kingpin Jagdish Bhola and is his close relative-the brother-in-law of his son,” said State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa.
The Punjab Congress has also demanded imposition of President’s Rule in the State alleging existence of a nexus between Akalis, anti-social elements and police in the wake of Bhola’s allegations of Majithia’s “direct involvement” in the drug racket - a charge vehemently denied by the Minister. Bajwa would meet Governor Shivraj Patil on Thursday, and has also sought time to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to apprise him about the state of affairs in Punjab, and to seek his intervention.
“The close nexus between Akalis, anti-social elements and police is spreading like a cancer…going by the present scenario, it is a fit case for the President’s Rule,” said Bajwa. Bhola, the main accused in the matter, named Majithia, after he revealed that three ministers-each from Malwa, Majha and Doaba, are involved in the drug mafia.
Meanwhile, continuing their protests against Majithia across the State and seeking registration of case against him and CBI probe into the drug racket, Congress activists burnt effigies of Majithia and urged the Chief Minister to hand over the drug case to the CBI. Police used mild force to disperse Congress activists when they tried to stage protest at the minister’s private residences at Amritsar and Majitha.