CHANDIGARH | Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia on Sunday hit out at the BJP over its stance on the Jagga Singh case in Namol, Sangrur, questioning the political support being extended to a person against whom nine FIRs have been registered, including cases related to drugs, excise and rape, with convictions in four cases. Police have also publicly confirmed the existence of nine FIRs against Jagga Singh, including an NDPS case, and convictions in four cases.
AAP Punjab Manish Sisodia said, “Political parties should first verify the facts about a person and understand how he is known in his village before making public statements or posting videos and tweets about such cases. The BJP commented on the matter without examining the facts surrounding the case.”
He asserted, “The Bhagwant Mann government is firmly running its ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign against drugs. At a time when the government is taking action against drug peddlers, why has the BJP chosen to publicly support people facing multiple criminal cases? Opposition parties should support efforts to eliminate drugs rather than use every incident to target the Punjab government.”
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO also criticised the opposition for politicising the Jagga Singh matter. He said, “The person at the centre of the controversy has had multiple cases registered against him over several years. Opposition parties should have first gone to the village, understood the facts and assessed his standing there before taking a position on the matter.
He added, “When the Punjab government is running its ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign against drugs and taking action against the drug network, opposition leaders should exercise greater responsibility before publicly supporting individuals facing multiple cases. Political parties should not make videos or statements based solely on claims made on social media without first verifying the facts.
“The opposition should cooperate in the government’s efforts to eliminate drugs from Punjab instead of searching for incidents that can be used to target Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Opposition leaders should follow a simple process before commenting on such matters: first establish the facts, then verify them and only afterwards assess the circumstances of the case,” he further said.
The Minister concluded by stating, “The fight against drugs requires collective support, and political differences should not come in the way of action against the drug menace in Punjab.”
