BSF warned Shiromani Akali Dal against sit-in

New Delhi/Chandigarh: The BSF had written to the Punjab government last week voicing concern over SAD’s move to hold dharnas after the party claimed that the sit-in would also be to put pressure on the BSF to stop entry of drugs into the state from Pakistan side.

These dharnas were held in the wake of Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, a family member of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate over an international drug racket.

Mr Majithia is the brother of Union minister Harsimrat Kaur, who is the daughter-in-law of the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The dharnas were held close to the Attari, Hussainiwala and Sadiqi check points near Indo-Pak border in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts respectively.

Barring the Chief Minister, virtually the entire SAD leadership participated in the dharnas. Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, the brother-in-law of Mr Manjithia, alleged that states ruled by the BJP are not ready to stop cultivation of narcotics though Punjab was willing to compensate them. He said first a conspiracy was hatched to defame Punjabis as “terrorists” and now they were being branded as “drug addicts”.

“A propaganda has been going on in this regard and Congress is trying to politicise the issue,” said the deputy CM.