No vendetta, but no pillows to be given to Majithia in jail: CM Mann

Indian Express

10 hours ago

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday said that Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia will not be given any pillow in the jail.
Participating in a debate on the drug menace on the concluding day of the Vidhan Sabha's special session, Mann said, 'Pillows will not be provided at all. (This is) No political vendetta. Facilities will be provided as per the jail rules'.
He said, 'Those responsible for laying the pyres of youth in Punjab don't deserve any sort of comfort in jail as they have to pay for their misdeeds. An investigation has revealed how many properties these people made. Strictest punishment will be ensured for these people.'
He claimed affluent leaders not only used to patronize drug trade across the state but even supplied the drugs in their official government vehicles.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 25 arrested Majithia in a disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of Rs 540 crore of 'drug money'. He is currently in judicial remand and lodged in Nabha jail.
Without naming Majithia and his MLA wife Ganieve Kaur Majithia, who was not present in the House, CM said, 'Where did Satta, Pindi, Bhola come from? Why were they taken in the government vehicles? '
'I assure the House that an exemplary punishment will be ensured for these leaders so that no one ever dares to commit this sin again. Nabha Jail has now become the synonym of 'Çhitta''as those who had introduced this drug to Punjab are now lodged there. Known for their opulence, acquired through illegal means, these leaders are now demanding facilities in the jail,' he said.
Continuing to target Majithia, Mann said that as a fact of matter the Akali leader had continued the 'dubious legacy' of his family to 'backstab' Punjab and its people for their vested interests.
He said Majithia's ancestors had 'backstabbed' the people by holding a dinner for General Dyer on the same night the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was ordered by the British officer in 1919.
Mann said, 'Somebody hosting him before the massacre was still understandable. But who hosts a man like him on the night of the massacre. These people are traitors,' Mann said, adding later, Majithia's family gave general Dyer a siropa (a sacred cloth) at Golden Temple saying that he had apologised and he was being exonerated of the crime.
Mann said Punjab was being defamed over the issue of drugs whereas various other states have this problem. Some forces inimical to the state had unleashed a 'malicious' campaign to tarnish our image by labelling the hard working Punjabis as drug addicts, said Mann.
As Punjab is fighting national war against the drugs due to which it was being defamed continuously despite immense contribution in every field, he said.
The Chief Minister said that the state was being maligned irrespective of the fact that not even a single ounce of drug was produced in it. He said the state's security forces have recently confiscated a huge amount of drugs from Gujarat and Rajasthan.
However, Mann said that Yudh Nasheyan Virudh, embarked by the state government, has broken the backbone of the drug trade.
Defending delay in taking action against Majithia, Mann said, 'We took time because we were trying to break the supply line. The patients would have suffered withdrawal. We made OOAT clinics, set up rehabs. Then we got to know Police is mixed up. Munshis used to tell that them that raid parties are coming to raid.'