AAP legislator patronising drug trafficker: Akali Dal

Chandigarh, July 24 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legal wing president Arshdeep Singh Kler on Monday demanded action against Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Raja Sansi legislator Baldev Singh Miandian for patronising and sheltering his OSD and alleged drug trafficker Tejbir Singh Gill who he said was an active AAP worker.

Addressing the media, Kler condemned AAP and its spokesman Malvinder Kang for mouthing lies by claiming that Tejbir Gill was a SOI (Student Organization of India) worker when the truth was that Tejbir had worked in SOI for few weeks before being removed from his post even as he had been working actively for AAP and was even OSD of the Pungrain Chairman.

“Malwinder Kang should apologise immediately for speaking brazen lies and also tell what action was being initiated against the Punjgrain Chairman who had been patronizing the drug trafficker since the last one and a half years. Gill had access to the AAP Chairman’s vehicle and also accompanied him to all programmes. This issue needs to be investigated threadbare,” he said.

“This is not all. AAP is befooling Punjabis by leading a defamation campaign against SAD on drugs when the fact is that it is patronising drug convicts as well as those who have been arrested in drug cases.”

He cited the example of AAP Khemkaran legislator Sarwan Singh Dhun who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment along with several family members in 2002 but still had been inducted into AAP and even given the party ticket to contest the 2022 elections.

He also gave several other examples to show how AAP was patronising drug dealers. He said AAP leader Satnam Singh Ghariala was caught with 3 kg of heroin while another leader Raiiv Bhagat, who was a close confidant of AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap had been arrested with drug tablets worth Rs 15 crore.

The SAD leader also gave examples of supporters of legislator Balkar Sidhu and minister Chetan Singh Jaurmajra who had been arrested after drug seizures.

“Some of these persons, including Jasdeep Singh Harry, had pictures with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and cabinet minister Meet Hayer,” he said, adding Jagjit Singh, an AAP leader from Kathunangal, had also been arrested in a drug case.