Will move SC against Akalis: Bajwa

Saturday, 03/05/2014

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140503/punjab.htm#4

Chandigarh : The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today said it would approach the Supreme Court to help uncover the growing clout of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and the role of Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia in the drug trade.

Addressing a press conference here today, PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, said: “We will seek an inquiry by a sitting High Court Judge into the companies in which the Akali leaders have a major share and the 'conflict of interest' in businesses such as transport, the hotel industry and power as reported by The Tribune.” He said the SAD was bullying its rivals. This was evident from the attack on the residence of a journalist in Chandigarh and the attack on AAP candidate Dr Dharamvir Gandhi in Patiala.

Bajwa said 22 kg of heroin was seized from a drug dealer in Dinanagar recently. A picture of the dealer released by the authorities showed Jagjit alias Laadi, a senior SAD leader, standing with the accused.

Laadi had also been seen with former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon's son and other senior SAD leaders in pictures published during the elections, Bajwa said.

“The drugs mafia is active in the border belt, particularly in the Gurdaspur and Amritsar constituencies, and Majithia's hand in it cannot be ruled out. The Chief Minister refused to refer the Bhola drug case to the CBI and the High Court declined our plea on the matter. We are now even more determined to pursue the case in the Supreme Court,” the PPCC chief said. Claiming that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would get not more than 10 per cent votes in the state, he said all 13 seats were likely to go to the Congress.

But former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said AAP had made its presence felt, "even if small”. She said there was no Modi wave in Punjab. " In my constituency (Lehragaga), his posters were removed by his own party workers," she claimed.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the working of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Bhattal said he had not acted on complaints against SAD leaders during campaigning.

Jakhar writes to DGP on Malout incident

Muktsar: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Sunil Jakhar, who contested the Ferozepur seat, has written to the Punjab DGP to hold an impartial probe into the poll violence at Malout. Jakhar alleged that Akali workers thrashed Congress polling agent Paramjit Singh when he was returning home. “Paramjit saved his life by taking shelter at a friend's house. The election observer and the election officer were informed about the incident. But the police took away Paramjit and released him later only after Congress workers protested,”Jhakar said. He said the following day, a case under Section 307 of the IPC was registered against seven Congress workers. Jakhar asked the DGP to ensure that the Congress workers were not harassed.