The Punjab unit of the Congress today alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is giving shelter to criminals and utilising them against political opponents and state Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia is organising them under one umbrella.
According to a statement issued here by former ministers Sukhdev Singh Shebajpuri, Gurchet Singh Bhullar, Sardool Singh and Parminder Singh Sandhu, the Revenue Minister has been using criminals against political opponents and he had done so in the past Panchayat elections.
The involvement of Youth Akali Dal, headed by Majithia, in the killing of assistant sub-inspector of police in Amritsar while saving the modesty of his daughter was a glaring evidence, the release states.
Alleging that Majithia had issued threats to political opponents several times in the past, the Congress leaders said the criminal elements are now enjoying political patronage under the SAD rule.
The SAD-BJP regime has also filed false cases against opposition leaders and their family members, they alleged.
Claiming that the activities of Majithia were serious threat to peace and democracy in Punjab, the Congress leaders urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to curb his activities in the larger interest of the state.
