SAD, Cong, BJP question vigilance action against Majithia; AAP refutes 'political vendetta'

Chandigarh, Jun 25 (PTI) All three major opposition parties in Punjab -- SAD, Congress and BJP -- on Wednesday questioned the arrest of Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the Vigilance Bureau, claiming that the move exposed the "dictatorial mindset" of the AAP government.

Condemning Majithia's arrest, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP were "unnerved" by the resolute manner in which the Akali leader took on the state government.

The Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested Majithia for allegedly laundering over Rs 540 crore of "drug money". The arrest followed a raid at his Amritsar residence by the vigilance team.

The bureau claimed preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore of "drug money" was laundered through several channels allegedly facilitated by Majithia.

Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Singh Badal, is already facing probe in a 2021 drugs case.

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, said in a post on X, "I strongly condemn the arrest of @bsmajithia -- both in the manner it violates democratic principles and exposes the dictatorial mindset behind it." "It was a shameful and undemocratic act. The raid was conducted without any search warrant at the residence of MLA Ganieve Kaur, the wife of Bikram Majithia," Bajwa said, questioning the manner in which the vigilance raid was carried out.

If a raid operation is to be carried out against an MLA, the Vigilance Bureau should have a search or an arrest warrant, he added.

Ganieve Kaur, the arrested Akali leader's wife, is the sitting SAD MLA from the Majithia assembly constituency.

Punjab Cabinet minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, however, said Majithia's arrest reflected the political will of AAP and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to fight against the menace of drugs.

"This day will go down in history. It will be recorded as the day when the Akali-BJP combine was exposed for bringing drugs to Punjab, a menace the Aam Aadmi Party government under Bhagwant Mann uprooted," Kataruchak said.

The minister also accused the erstwhile Akali-BJP government of "enabling the proliferation of drugs through political patronage".

"Drugs could spread on such a massive scale only because the MLAs and ministers of the Akali-BJP government gave political protection to the drug smugglers and worked hand-in-glove with them to expand this trade," he alleged in a statement.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, meanwhile, stressed that action against corruption must be transparent, uniform, and rooted in due process, not driven by personal or political vendetta.

"Law must take its course -- firmly and without favour. No one is above the law, and justice must prevail. But when institutions are used to selectively target individuals while others walk free, it erodes the credibility of both justice and governance," Jakhar said.

One cannot be persecuted merely for challenging the chief minister, just as one cannot be let off for succumbing to the chief minister's threats, he added.

Selective action or inaction as seen in cases of Bikram Majithia or against certain Congressmen undermines the principle of equal justice, Jakhar said.

Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also hit out at Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of turning the case against Majithia into a political spectacle.

He alleged that repeated arrests without credible evidence were weakening the legal case against Majithia.

In a statement, Bittu said the AAP government "failed" to present any substantial evidence in both the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court, which ultimately led to Majithia securing bail.

"The fresh arrest will also meet the same fate. It's clear that this is just political posturing. Every such arrest dilutes the case further," Bittu claimed.

The Union minister alleged that Bhagwant Mann was using the issue to gain "political mileage", instead of pursuing a serious investigation.

"So many SITs have been formed since the Congress government's time, yet no conclusive outcome has come out. Mann is using the issue for theatrics. His actions, often taken under the influence of liquor, show that he has no intent to take the case to its logical end," Bittu said.

Sukhbir Badal said that SAD will not be cowed down by brutal attempts to suppress the voice of the people expressed by Majithia and other Akali leaders by "letting loose state agencies against them".

In a post on X, he said, "This is not the first time that political vendetta has been unleashed against the Akali leadership. WE WILL TAKE IT HEAD ON.

"Registering false cases is a criminal act. Officers should know that inquiries into all such false cases and acts of suppression committed during this govt's tenure will surely be conducted at the appropriate time. I urge the police personnel not to break the law, as the change of guard is just one-and-a-half years away." Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira termed the arrest of Majithia "vindictive" actoion against the Akali leader.

"I strongly condemn the highly vindictive raid and arrest of @bsmajithia on the orders of @ArvindKejriwal and @BhagwantMann out of sheer personal hatred because he is a known critic of the @AamAadmiParty government," Khaira said in a post on X.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, meanwhile, said the state government is waging a war against drugs and no individual is above the law.

"Punjab is witnessing an unprecedented war against drugs. This government is fighting a battle against those who, for decades, profited from the drug trade under the Akali-BJP and Congress regimes. No matter how influential a person is, if they are involved in drug-related activities, they will face the law," Cheema said.

"The citizens of Punjab have seen enough of the failures of the previous regimes. Our government has launched this battle to ensure that no drug trafficker, big or small, escapes justice. This fight is for the future of Punjab," he added.

Punjab minister Aman Arora also refuted the allegations of political vendetta behind Majithia's arrest.

"Claims of vendetta are baseless. If vigilance or police receive a complaint, they act accordingly. The law operates independently, and no one needs to worry if they are innocent. The Punjab government is not engaging in political witch-hunting, but is focused on ensuring justice," Arora said. PTI CHS ARI ARI