Page 8 - The Indian EYE 100623

NATION OCTOBER 06, 2023 | The Indian Eye 8

AAP tussles with Congress as Punjab Govt

faces heat from farmers over grain price

Congress calls arrest of its MLA vindictive politics of AAP, but the ruling party is terming the

development as part of their “zero-tolerance policy” against drugs

OUR BUREAU
Chandigarh/New Delhi
A
Punjab court here on Saturday
sent Congress MLA Sukhpal
Singh Khaira to 14-day judi-
cial custody in connection with a 2015
drugs case. Congress MLA Khaira
was arrested from his Chandigarh res-
idence on Thursday morning in con-
nection with an old case registered in
2015 under the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The Aam Aadmi Party and Con-
gress-- members of the opposition’s
INDIA bloc-- have been at logger-
heads in the border state over the
arrest of Khaira. While the Congress
is calling it vindictive politics of AAP,
the ruling party is terming the devel-
opment as part of their “zero-toler-
ance policy” against drugs.
Earlier in 2015, there were two
cases originated with the unearthing Farmers from Punjab Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee block the railway tracks as they continue their ‘Rail Roko’ protest over their various
of a cross-border drug smuggling net-
work in Fazilka, Punjab, leading to the demands, including the withdrawal of cases regarding agitation in Delhi and compensation and jobs for the families of the farmers who died
seizure of heroin, gold biscuits, weap- during the agitation, at Devi Dass Pura, in Amritsar on Friday (ANI)
ons, cartridges, and Pakistani SIM
cards and the second of a fake pass- and breach this shield to safeguard our Roko Agitation) on Sunday over their issue and many more, which has not
port racket being run in Delhi. Democracy will prove futile. Punjab demands, including a Committee for been implemented yet. Government
As the trial went on, nine smug-
glers, including Gurdev Singh, Manjit must understand that this is an elec- MSP (Minimum Support Price), with- seems to forget their promises” said
tion to choose India‘s Prime Minister
drawal of cases regarding agitation in
a farmer.
Singh, Harbans Singh, and Subhash and not Punjab‘s Chief Minister !!! Delhi, and compensation and jobs for The three-day protest called by
Chander, were sentenced in October This comes after Punjab Con- families of farmers who died during farmers in Punjab’s Amritsar led by
2017 in connection with the Fazilka gress leaders expressed strong resent- the agitation. the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Com-
case. As per the chargesheet, Khaira
The farmers sat on railway tracks, mittee began on Thursday and will
was closely associated with Gurdev ment and termed the arrest of Con- disrupting rail traffic in Punjab. DRM continue on Saturday.
gress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in
Singh, the leader of the Fazilka drug connection with a 2015 drugs case as a Moradabad rail division Raj Kumar Sarwan Singh Pandher of Ki-
smuggling racket, and is accused of
having sheltered him. ‘political vendetta’. Singh said that several trains have san Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee,
But the Aam Aadmi Party and
been cancelled or delayed due to
who was present at the protest said,
Amid the ongoing tension in the
Punjab Congress over alliance with Congress-- members of the opposi- the protest. The farmers protested “If anyone tries to be unfair with the
AAP to contest the 2024 general elec- tion’s INDIA bloc-- have been at log- half-nude to remind the Central gov- farmers of Punjab, then farmers from
gerheads in the border state over the
Haryana will also join Punjab farmers.
ernment of the promises it had made
tion together, Punjab Congress lead- arrest of Khaira. to them. The farmers said that the Farmers are united throughout the
er Navjot Sidhu on Sunday said that While the Congress is calling it government had promised to imple- country.”
the “INDIA alliance stands like a tall vindictive politics of AAP, the ruling ment the MSP Act, compensation for “The agitation has been called
mountain.” party is terming the development as drug-related issues, and many more by 18 unions in North India. Home
The Punjab Congress leader also
added that Punjab must understand part of their “zero-tolerance policy” issues, but it had gone back on its Minister Amit Shah came to Amrit-
promises.
against drugs.
sar and he promised to bring MSP
that this is an election to choose In- The arrest also comes as farmers “Today we have protested while guarantee law but the committee has
dia‘s Prime Minister and not Punjab‘s in Amritsar, under the aegis of Kisan being half nude. The reason for the not been formed yet. The cases that
Chief Minister. “The I.N.D.I.A al- Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, con- clothless protest was that the Modi had been registered during the Delhi
liance stands like a tall mountain, a tinued to sit on railway tracks as they government had promised to imple- agitation have not been withdrawn,”
storm here and there will not affect its
Grandeur !!! Any attempt to sabotage staged a ‘Rail Roko Andolan’ (Rail ment the MSP Act, compensation Pandher said.
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