CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asserted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had violated the law by registering a disproportionate assets case against senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia without holding either a preliminary or regular probe and accused it indulging in political vendetta to gag Mr Majithia as well as divert attention from the failure of its Yudh Nashean Virudh drive.
Addressing a press conference here, senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema also accused the AAP government of misleading Punjabis and even committing contempt of court by stating that Mr Majithia had been arrested in an Rs 540 crore drug case. “This is not only absurd but a bundle of lies for which the AAP leaders will be held accountable”, Mr Maheshinder Grewal said adding “the government should tell why it has not released a single complaint with regard to the Rs 540 crore figure it had concocted in either the FIR or otherwise”. He said in stark contrast when Mr Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Manish Sisodia had been arrested in the Delhi liquor scam there were specific complaints from liquor contractors that they had given bribe money to the duo. He also cited how earlier Mr Majithia had been granted bail by the high court in the NDPS case registered against him by the previous Congress government after it found that there was no recovery of drug money, no transaction had been proved and that no money had been exchanged.
Mr Grewal said the public prosecutor had stated today that only a disproportionate assets case had been registered against Mr Majithia. “Even this is fabricated. The properties mentioned in the complaint were in the Majithia family even before Mr Bikram Majithia was born. The Majithia family is an old landed family with Mr Bikram Majithia’s grandfather owning planes and even a Rolls Royce car. It has also been wrongly imputed that Mr Bikram Majithia was responsible for decision making in the Saraya Industries as he had resigned as a Director of the company in 2007”.
Dr Daljeet Cheema said all the allegations mentioned in the new case against Mr Majithia had been submitted to the Supreme Court recently while seeking to cancel the bail given to the Akali leader in a NDPS case. “The Supreme Court did not take cognizance of the allegations and now they have been recycled and turned into a new case”. He also cited how the AAP government had created a curfew like situation in the Mohali court where Mr Majithia was presented today resulting in harassment of litigants.
Veteran leader Balwinder Singh Bhundar said the vindictive action had made people remember the Emergency and termed it as the murder of democracy. He said the AAP government had been trying implicate Mr Majithia in a false case since more than three years and had formed repeated SITs and even suspended officers to force them to do their illegal bidding. He also thanked the opposition for expressing solidarity with Mr Bikram Majithia and raising its voice against the revengeful action.
Senior leaders Sikandar Singh Maluka and Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal were also present on the occasion.