Congress dubs arrest of party MLA Khaira as abuse of power by AAP govt

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Congress party on Thursday slammed the AAP government in Punjab over the arrest of Kisan Congress chief and party MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in a drugs case.

The Congress said Khaira’s arrest from his Chandigarh house in an old case was proof of abuse of power and vengeance and the party stands with him against this conspiracy to suppress his voice against injustice.

The Congress slammed the AAP on its official X handle saying, “The arrest of All India Kisan Congress Chairman Sukhpal Khaira ji is proof of abuse of power and vengeance. The entire Congress family stands with him against this petty conspiracy to suppress his voice against injustice. We are not ready to bow down, not ready to stop. We will fight and win.”

Even party Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore condemned the arrest of Khaira and said, “Condemn the misuse of police force and arrest of AICC Kisan Congress Chairman Sukhpal Khaira. Akali FIR, AAP misusing it... Questions not tolerated by AAP. Unfortunate.”

Party leader Supriya Shrinate, too, condemned the arrest and dubbed it as revenge and accused the AAP government of attempting to suppress the voice of the Opposition in the state. In a post on X, Shrinate, who is the Chairperson of the Congress’ Social Media and Digital Platforms said, “The arrest of Kisan Congress President Sukhpal Khaira is proof of the politics of revenge of the Punjab Government. This step of the Aam Aadmi Party government is an attempt to suppress the voice of the Opposition. This is completely wrong. We are all with Sukhpal ji.”

Even Indian Youth Congress (IYC) Chief Srinivas BV slammed the government and in a post on X, saying, “The arrest of All India Kisan Congress Chairman Sukhpal Khaira ji is a proof of abuse of power and vengeance. The entire Congress family stands with him against this petty conspiracy to suppress his voice against injustice.”

Punjab Police has not yet issued any statement over Khaira’s arrest and the charges against him.

Khaira went Live on Facebook where he and the policemen were seen arguing about the raid to arrest him. However, a police officer was seen telling Khaira that a Special Investigating Team had been formed in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case, which has evidence of drugs smuggling against him.

At this, Khaira was heard telling the officer that the Supreme Court has already quashed the NDPS case. Later, the police arrested Khaira and took him to Jalalabad in Punjab.

The Congress and the AAP have been at loggerheads in Punjab as the grand old party is critical of the state government over several issues.

It is worth mentioning that the AAP is also a member of the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties formed to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.