Kejriwal said that his party is committed to fulfilling the dharma of the alliance. (File: PTI)
Senior Congress leader Khaira was arrested by Punjab police on Thursday from his Chandigarh home in connection with an old drug-related case
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that the Aam Aadmi Party is committed to the opposition INDIA bloc and will not break away from it.
His statement comes amid the accusation made by the Congress’ Punjab unit about the state’s AAP government indulging in political vendetta following the arrest of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a 2015 drug trafficking case.
However, rejecting the allegation, AAP has said that the action taken against Khaira was according to the law. AAP Chief Kejriwal — while addressing a press conference on Friday — was asked about the party’s future in Punjab after the Congress legislator was arrested.
“The AAP is committed towards the INDIA alliance. We will not break away from the alliance. We are committed to fulfilling the dharma of the alliance,” Kejriwal said.
Talking about the case, he said, “I have heard about it but I don’t have details. You will have to talk to the Punjab Police.” “The Bhagwant Mann government is committed to ending the drug menace in the state since it has destroyed the youth. Be it an influential person or a small-time person, no one will be spared. I am not commenting on any particular incident since the details are not with me.”
Commenting on why the opposition bloc, INDIA, has not yet projected a prime ministerial candidate, Kejriwal said that a system needs to be prepared “so that 140 crore people of India feel they are prime minister. We have to empower people and not one person”.
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Meanwhile, the Punjab Congress has already opposed any alliance with the state’s AAP government for the 2024 general elections.
Senior Congress leader Khaira was arrested by Punjab police on Thursday from his Chandigarh home in connection with an old drug-related case.
In 2015, the police had unearthed a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards, as well as the discovery of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.
Nine smugglers were sentenced in October 2017 in connection with the Fazilka case. As per the chargesheet, Khaira was closely associated with Gurdev Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug smuggling racket, and is accused of having sheltered him.
Primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, sheltering him, receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.
The Congress was quick to react, claiming that Khaira was arrested as part of political witch-hunting unleashed by the Mann government. Congress chief Raja Warring said that the party would contest the allegations against Khaira legally and threatened protests against the arrest.
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The Congress state unit has also pressed the alarm bells, urging the high command to “detach” itself from any tie-up for the Lok Sabha polls. The state unit fears more arrests of its other leaders and has urged the party’s top brass to exert pressure on the AAP leadership.
Meanwhile, the Akali Dal has also criticized the arrest.
