AAP’s Anurag Dhandha hit back at Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Punjab govt over Gulzar Singh’s suicide, accusing Congress of ‘dirty politics’. Gandhi had demanded Minister Harpal Cheema’s resignation, alleging the man was harassed for questioning him.
AAP Hits Back at Congress Over Punjab Man’s Suicide
AAP media in-charge Anurag Dhandha on Wednesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Punjab government over Gulzar Singh’s death, accusing Congress of indulging in “dirty politics”. Rahul Gandhi had called for Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema’s resignation after Gulzar Singh, a worker from Sangrur district, died by suicide after allegedly being harassed for publicly questioning Cheema about the illicit drug trade.
Dhandha said that the accused in the case has been arrested. Slamming the opposition, he held the Shiromani Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress governments responsible for the drug menace in Punjab. Dhandha wrote on X, “Rahul ji, Congress leaders were attempting to engage in the same dirty politics during their visit to the victim’s village, but the people chased them away from there. All the accused have already been caught by the police based on identification by the family.”
“The Akali BJP and Congress governments have been responsible for spreading drugs in Punjab. In the AAP government, no drug smuggler is spared,” the post read.
Rahul Gandhi Demands Minister’s Resignation
Earlier today, in an X post, Rahul Gandhi slammed the AAP government, calling for justice for Gulzar Singh’s family. He also called for an independent probe in the case.
Gandhi wrote, “A dangerous pattern is emerging in Punjab’s AAP government—if you question government failures, the response will come in the form of threats and torture. Gulzar Singh ji, from the Dalit community, who had to watch his son fall victim to drugs, asked the Finance Minister just this much: why has the government failed so miserably in stopping the drug trade?”
Sharing Gulzar’s video, before he consumed poison and died, the Congress leader alleged that he was pressured to apologize for questioning the Punjab Minister. “For just this, he was tortured and humiliated so much, pressured so intensely to apologize, that he consumed poison. Wandering from one hospital to another, without access to treatment, he ultimately lost the battle for his life,” he added.
Mentioning Mohanjeet Singh’s case, who the Congress alleged was tortured in police custody, Rahul Gandhi added, “Last week, I also spoke with a young Mohanjeet Singh, who was tortured for protesting against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.”
“The government’s job is to answer to the people, not to crush those who ask questions. May Gulzar Singh ji’s family get justice as soon as possible. The Chief Minister should immediately demand the Finance Minister’s resignation and ensure an independent and impartial investigation, with his name registered in the FIR,” the X post read.
Details of the Incident
46-year-old Gulzar Singh allegedly died after consuming poison shortly after publicly questioning Harpal Singh Cheema about the illicit drug trade.
The incident took place in Toor Banjara village during a constituency visit by Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Gulzar Singh, whose son is allegedly struggling with severe drug addiction, had raised concerns with the minister about the easy availability of synthetic drugs, locally known as chitta, in the area.
Following the interaction, Gulzar Singh allegedly faced harassment and pressure from local leaders and panchayat members to publicly apologise for questioning the minister.
He later recorded a video naming some individuals allegedly involved and subsequently passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ludhiana.
In response to the video and the family’s statement, local police registered an FIR against five individuals under charges of abetment to suicide and relevant sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)