CHANDIGARH: The arrest of senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has triggered a fresh wave of political mudslinging in the state. Majithia, who is also the brother-in-law of SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, was taken into custody on Tuesday, prompting strong reactions from opposition parties who termed it “political vendetta,” while the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit back, accusing critics of shielding those responsible for Punjab’s drug crisis.
Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the arrest, calling it undemocratic. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) accompanied by a video message, Bajwa said, “I strongly condemn the arrest of @bsmajithia both in the manner it violates democratic principles and exposes the dictatorial mindset behind it.”
He further criticised the early morning raid at the MLA flat allotted to Majithia’s wife and fellow legislator, Ganieve Kaur Majithia. “No search warrant was brought, nor was she informed. The officials entered her bedroom and searched her almirahs. This is shameful and not the first time. Similar tactics were used against our party MLA Sukhpal Khaira. The Mann-led government’s methods are immoral. Take action if needed, but follow due process,” he said.
Bajwa also issued a caution to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, stating, “Mann thinks he will rule Punjab for 25 years. But others who thought the same are now out of power. Follow the rule of law this is not jungle raj.”
Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira also came out in support of Majithia, condemning the raid as politically motivated. “Punjab has now turned into a police state,” he said in a Facebook video.
Punjab BJP spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal took to X to draw parallels with the Emergency, tweeting, “#EmergencyIndia1975 to till today in Punjab. Same things happening to shut the voices of opposition. Congress + AAP = INDI Alliance = One & the same! Political Vendetta!”
In response, AAP leaders have firmly defended the arrest. Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchakk stated that Majithia’s arrest marked a pivotal moment in the state’s "War Against Drugs". “We will eliminate drugs and drug smugglers at all costs. No one will be spared—no matter how powerful they are,” he said. “Today will be recorded in history as the day the Akali-BJP nexus was exposed for bringing drugs to Punjab.”
Kataruchakk alleged that during the previous SAD-BJP government, drugs flourished due to political protection extended to smugglers. “MLAs and ministers were hand in glove with drug peddlers,” he charged.
Echoing similar sentiments, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ridding Punjab of the drug menace. He referred to the 2007–2017 SAD-BJP tenure as the period when the “sixth river of drugs” flowed through Punjab. Dhaliwal cited court testimonies from 2013, including that of convicted smuggler Jagdish Bhola, who had named Majithia but remained untouched by earlier governments.
“These are the same leaders who stayed silent when Punjab’s youth were falling victim to drugs,” said Dhaliwal, responding to opposition criticism. “Their outrage now reveals their complicity in shielding those who destroyed Punjab’s future.”
As the political temperature rises, the issue is set to dominate Punjab’s political discourse in the coming days, with both sides showing no signs of backing down.
