Amritsar: Days after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Amritsar North, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, opposed the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia in an alleged disproportionate assets case, the party’s political affairs committee has suspended him from the party for five years for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.
Notably, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 arrested Majithia after conducting a raid at his residence in Amritsar in a disproportionate assets case worth Rs 540 crore.
AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the MLA was suspended for consistently making public statements against party activities, and it is against political decorum.
Kunwar Vijay, who is a former IPS officer, said, “When Majithia ji was in jail, the Bhagwant Mann Government neither conducted any interrogation nor sought his remand and eventually allowed him bail.”
Soon after the news of his suspension emerged on social media, Kunwar posted on Facebook, “Kabir, jis marne te jag dare, mere man anand’ (Kabir, that the death which the world fears, but to me, my mind feels bliss).”
“However, it is a question of a family’s dignity now, it is the dignity of every family, whether one is a politician, actor, rich or poor, friend or foe. It is against the policy to raid someone’s house early in the morning; almost every incoming government has misused and misused police and vigilance for their advantage but the conclusion is not clear.,” Kunwar Vijay said on social media.
“When Majithia sahib was in jail in a case registered during the Congress government, the Mann Government did not seek any remand or conduct any questioning. Later, the state apparatus under Bhagwant Mann even facilitated his bail,” said Kunwar Vijay adding he may have had political disagreements or ideological differences with Majithia, but when it came to principles, religion, and integrity, one should speak out.
“I am trying to make a point here that when he was in custody, the government enabled his bail. Now, suddenly, notices are being issued to him, raids are being conducted at his house, and the privacy of his wife is being violated. I reiterate that I have an ideological disagreement with Majithia sahib. That will remain. This, however, is a matter of ethics and integrity,” he said.
While pronouncing action against Kunwar Vijay, the AAP has stated, “Questioning the vigilance action against Vikram Majithia proved costly for Kunwar Vijay Pratap. It is the Mann government’s clear message through this big decision that politics will not be tolerated in the campaign against drugs. The Aam Aadmi Party has suspended Kunwar Vijay Pratap from the party for five years. This is a decision of the Aam Aadmi Party’s PAC (political affairs committee). He has been suspended for being involved in anti-party activities.”
Kunwar has also been critical of his government following the death of more than 20 people due to spurious liquor consumption in Amritsar in May. After taking premature retirement from police service in 2021, Kunwar joined the AAP and was later elected as MLA from the Amritsar North seat.
Meanwhile, opposition parties targeted the AAP government over Kunwar’s suspension, saying the action was taken against him for “exposing” the Bhagwant Mann government.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the AAP government’s “question hour” has begun, and everyone knows it has no answers.
“It may suspend its MLA from the party, but what about 3 crore Punjabis who are asking the same questions Kunwar Vijay Pratap has been asking,” Warring added.
Punjab BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa said the AAP MLA’s suspension is a “proof that dissent and honest politics have no space under the authoritarian grip of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal.”
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