SAD leader, Bikram Singh Majithia. (Express File)Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia Thursday urged the Punjab Governor to “mark an inquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or the [Punjab and Haryana] High Court into the allegations of attempts to buy out its legislators by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)”, saying “only a transparent probe could bring out the truth in the case”.
The SAD leader, addressing a press conference, said “the inquiry should specify whether any BJP leader or any middleman offered Rs 25 crore each to AAP legislators to switch sides as claimed by ministers Harpal Cheema and Aman Arora. If this is so, action should be taken in the case”. He said “alternatively if the AAP allegations were found to be false then action should be taken against the ministers as well as legislators for befooling the people and insulting their mandate”.
Asserting that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had done the right thing by withdrawing assent for a special session to enact a political drama on the lines of the one which took place in Delhi earlier”, Majithia said “you should not stop at this. If need be, a probe by a central agency should also be ordered into the allegations”.
Questioning the veracity of holding a special session to pass a confidence motion, Majithia said “if the AAP government wants to test the confidence people have in its government it should call for an election by dissolving the assembly. That will be the real test of its popularity”.
Majithia also produced the FIR registered in the bribery case and said “even though nine days had passed since it was registered, no action had been taken in the matter”.
He added, “There has not been a single arrest in the case”. He also highlighted that the FIR had been registered against unknown persons even though AAP made specific allegations against BJP leaders and their middlemen.