CHANDIGARH: A portion of the frontal section of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s house in Bholath, Kapurthala, was demolished on Monday by the office of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO).
Khaira, a strong critic of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, condemned the move, calling it the dangerous introduction of “bulldozer (Pila-Panja) politics” in Punjab by Mann under directions from AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, aimed at silencing criticism and democratic dissent.
As the demolition began, Khaira went live on social media, criticising the state government. Anticipating the government's move, he had called in supporters since morning, who opposed the demolition.
Khaira said that a portion of his legitimate ancestral house in his native village, a property where his family has been residing for more than 200 years, was illegally demolished by the district administration using heavy police force. "The officials are wrongly claiming that the entrance gate is an encroachment, but it is not. We are approaching the court right away to stall this demolition," he said.
Khaira alleged he was neither served prior notice nor given an opportunity for a hearing. He accused the Kapurthala SSP of personally supervising the demolition on orders from Chief Minister Mann, deploying police force in what he described as an illegal and politically motivated action. He asserted that he possesses complete ownership documents and that not an inch of his village property is illegal or unauthorised.
Lashing out at the AAP government, Khaira said Mann has turned Punjab into a police state, pointing to recent alleged fake encounters, demolitions of people’s houses on charges of gangsterism or drug peddling, and the growing misuse of police for political vendetta.
Khaira added that he has been repeatedly targeted with false criminal cases, arrests, and imprisonment because he is a vocal critic of the government’s anti-people policies. He announced that he would approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the demolition and vowed to ensure all officials responsible for this “unlawful and politically motivated action” are brought to justice.
Warning that the people of Punjab would not tolerate intimidation and bulldozer politics to crush democratic dissent, Khaira said the matter would be taken to its logical conclusion.
Reacting to the demolition, Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa strongly condemned the action. “I strongly condemn the demolition at my colleague Sukhpal Khaira’s house. Power is temporary, but accountability is permanent. To CM Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal and officials following his unjust orders, every act will be remembered. Misuse of authority will not be forgotten,” he said in a post on X.