CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday offered himself for arrest in the 328 missing 'saroops' case.
"I volunteer to get arrested. Let the police register a case against me and investigate...," Sukhbir Singh Badal said after visiting the office of Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav accompanied by the party’s core committee members who reportedly staged a dharna.
Badal protested what he termed was "political vendetta" against him.
It may be recalled that a special investigation team (SIT) of Punjab Police constituted by the Punjab Government is probing into the disappearance of 328 'saroops' of Guru Granth Sahib from the possession of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Addressing the media after meeting Punjab DGP, Badal alleged that the AAP government wants to implicate him in the 328 missing ‘saroops’ case.
“If a case has to be registered, do it against me. Do not harass my party workers. Until the police clarifies its stand, the entire Akali Dal leadership will remain here,” Sukhbir Singh Badal said.
The SAD leadership, according to a report, has been consistently raising concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.
"Instead of probing the case relating to the saroops, the hand-picked SIT of the government is raiding business premises of my chartered accountants including the office of Ashwani and Associates, who file my income tax as well as my former accountants in Bathinda," he said.
Badal alleged that intrusions into his private business affairs were being made to prepare the ground to frame him on frivolous charges. "All my balance sheets are being illegally seized, and my employees and their family members are being pressurised to implicate me in a false case. These actions have nothing to do with the probe into the 328 saroop or with the Shiromani Committee."
He claimed attempts by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to demolish Sukh Vilas resort and stop his bus company from operating in Punjab and added the government could do nothing since everything was legal.
Asserting that the SAD would not take this "goondaism", Badal said, "The core committee has taken a serious note of the entire issue and decided to come to the roads in case the government continues to harass the SAD leadership in this manner. I also want to warn AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal not to misuse the Punjab Police.’"
Badal also alleged that the AAP government has become desperate to stop the rising popularity of the SAD and that a false case has been registered against senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia to stop him from raising the voice of the people.
Earlier in the day, the SAD core committee held a meeting at the party’s Chandigarh office under the chairmanship of Sukhbir Singh Badal. Senior leaders, including Bikram Singh Majithia and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, were present. The meeting was significant as it was the first core committee meeting after Majithia’s release from jail on bail on February 3, according to a report.
