The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia to appear before it on December 26 in connection with alleged money laundering in the `6,000-crore drug racket case. “ED has issued summons to Majithia,” official sources said, adding he is likely to be questioned on December 26 at 11 am at the directorate’s office in Jalandhar.
Majithia assured full cooperation with the ED. “In fact, I was not at home when the summons was delivered at my residence. With the motive of cooperating, I contacted the concerned Enforcement Directorate official on phone and directed my staff to receive the summons immediately,” he added.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma on Sunday demanded Majithia’s resignation for a fair probe. While talking to the media, Sharma minced no words, when he said that Majithia should resign forthwith following the precedent set by BJP and SAD leaders. “Even in Punjab, SAD Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike resigned when his name figured in a scam. Sarwan Singh Phillaur resigned when his son’s name figured in the same drug racket”, he said. Majithia is also the president of the Youth Wing of the SAD and younger brother of Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the wife of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.
The ED, a specialised financial investigation agency under the Union Finance Ministry, has been interrogating those involved in the international drug racket, which was busted with the arrest of an NRI, Anoop Singh Kahlon, by the Fatehgarh Sahib police in March 2013. Subsequent investigation had led to the arrest of alleged kingpin Jagdish Bhola, a dismissed DSP of Punjab Police, in November last year.
Majithia’s name had first surfaced in the case when the alleged kingpin in the racket, Jagdish Singh Bhola, who is also an international wrestler, claimed that the youth Akali leader and Damanvir Singh, son of then Punjab Jail Minister Swaran Singh Phillaur, had assisted him in procuring synthetic chemicals and precursors from owners of pharmaceutical units in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
The issue had then gained political trajectory and while the Opposition Congress had used it to attack the Badals, it had forced the BJP to distance itself from the Akalis. The Revenue Minister said he was clear in his mind that the truth should surface and the malicious campaign should stop. “I know I am innocent but continue to be subjected to a media trial. Certain leaders, including Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, have even gone to court but failed to present any evidence against me and now are trying to create a wrong perception against me through the media. All allegations are baseless and are not backed by any evidence”.
He asserted that he was all for a thorough investigation into the matter to end the political witch hunt which he was being subjected to on a daily basis for over a year. He, however, asserted there was no basis for the investigation. It was unfortunate that few political leaders rode piggy back on the allegations to tarnish my image”.
“I would also like to state that five central investigating agencies under the Congress led UPA regime had gone into the allegations leveled against me and found nothing. Similarly the PIl filed by few Congress leaders against me was also dismissed by the High Court with the petitioners being told not to politicise the drug issue,” he added.