Chandigarh (Punjab): Asserting that this is 'Badla ki Rajneeti' (politics of revenge), Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Thursday said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become thirsty for blood.
Khaira was speaking outside the court complex in Fazilka, where he was produced by the Punjab police after his arrest on Thursday morning. Khaira was arrested in connection with an old case registered in 2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Speaking to reporters Khair alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could even get him killed.
"They used to say that we are doing "Badlaav ki Rajneeti" but they are doing "Badla ki Rajneeti". Bhagwant Mann has become thirsty for blood," Khaira said.
"I will not be surprised if he gets me eliminated also. I sense something very very dangerous and I personally feel Bhagwant Mann will be solely responsible," he added.
Khaira further said that Bhagwant Mann is not able to tolerate the pouplarity of the Congress in Punjab. He claimed that the AAP had arrested him in an effort to marginalise the Congress in Punjab.
"I will fight back and will not get scared of them. Ultimately the truth will prevail," Khaira said.
Meanwhile, in view of the detention of Punjab Congress leader Khaira, the Punjab Congress delegation will meet Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit at 6 pm.
Earlier in 2015, there were two cases originated with the unearthing of a cross-border drug smuggling network in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weapons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM cards and the second of a fake passport racket being run in Delhi.
As the trial went on, nine smugglers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash Chander, 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.
The primary accusations against Khaira include supporting an international gang of smugglers, having sheltered him and receiving financial benefits from drug traffickers, and enjoying the proceeds of crime.
On February 16, 2023, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai and Vikram Nath quashed the summoning order against Khaira in the drugs case.
The arrest of Sukhpal Khaira is expected to further dent the relations of AAP and the Congress which have come together to form the INDIA alliance at the centre. The state unit of the Congress has opposed any tie-up or seat-sharing arrangement with the AAP in Punjab.
—ANI