Chandigarh, June 1
The confrontation between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has escalated dramatically ahead of crucial political battles in Punjab. While the government insists the police action stems from a criminal probe, the SAD has branded it as selective persecution and a clear case of political vendetta.
Tensions spiked on Monday when Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government of orchestrating a campaign against her brother, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Hours after Punjab Police raided Majithia’s Amritsar residence in connection with the Majitha police station attack case, Harsimrat launched a blistering attack on the ruling dispensation.
“Entire Punjab is watching the Chief Minister’s frustration. Why is he so afraid of Bikram Majithia? Why is the police being misused? What wrong has Bikram done?” she asked, alleging that the state machinery was being weaponized to silence political opponents.
The SAD leader further questioned the government’s handling of law and order, linking the raids directly to political rivalry. She claimed that the detainee at the heart of the controversy was held in illegal confinement without an FIR, and that Majithia’s intervention to rescue him was twisted into grounds for registering a case against him.
With the police investigation still underway, the episode has sharpened the fault lines between AAP and SAD, setting the stage for an increasingly bitter political showdown in Punjab.
