A joint SAD- BJP delegation today submitted a memorandum to the Vidhan Sabha Speaker demanding immediate removal of AAP leader Sukhpal Khaira from the post of leader of opposition even as it expressed apprehension that the Congress government was not serious about arresting Khaira.The joint delegation, led by Ajit Singh Kohar and Som Prakash, asked Speaker Rana K P Singh to take take immediate action against Sukhpal Khaira in view of the serious judicial indictment naming him as the king pin of an international gang dealing in drugs as well as arms smuggling.Briefing newsmen on the issue, senior SAD leader Bikram Majithia said the Speaker agreed with the delegation that Khaira's deplorable actions were a blot on the image of the august house and assured to look into the matter expeditiously. Mr Majithia said even as the court had proceeded against Sukhpal Khaira, the Congress government was dragging its feet in taking action against him. Asking the Congress government not to give kid glove treatment to Khaira, the SAD leader said the AAP leader should be arrested immediately as non- bailable warrants had been issued against him. "Moreover supplementary challan can be produced against Khaira only if he is subjected to custodial interrogation", he added.
The Akali leader also asked AAP Convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to explain why he was maintaining a studious silence on this sensitive issue and had not even directed Khaira to submit himself to the process of law. "Kejriwal was fond of saying that he will make Punjab drug free. Will he now stand up and expel Khaira from his party to at least make the AAP unit of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha drug free? If he does not do this it will seem that he is also compromised with drug money". Mr Majithia also asked Khaira not to try to defame the courts by terming their orders as erroneous if they went against him. "The present order against you in which you have been held to be the king pin an international drug racket with Pakistani links is based on strong and cogent evidence which has been put on record. Your game is up. You have nowhere to run and that is why you are venting your frustration at the judicial process now", he added. The other lawmakers who were part of the delegation were Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Som Parkash, Pawan Kumar Teenu, N K Sharma, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, Baldev Singh Khara, Dilraj Singh Bhundar, Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi, Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra and Dr. Sukhwinder Sukhi. BJP State Secretary Vineet Joshi also accompanied the delegation.