Former SAD minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur blames Bikram Majithia for running drug mafia in Punjab

CHANDIGARH : Accusing Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia of de-facto running the Akali government to unleash a state-wide mafia rule, former senior party leader Sarwan Singh Phillaur on Friday joined the Congress along with 16 other Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and workers.
They were welcomed into the Punjab Congress fold by party president Captain Amarinder Singh, who also hailed the joining of AAP’s Surinder Singh Ryait, Senior Vice President Trade, Transport and Industry Cell, and a former SAD political advisor.
Phillaur said he and his son were framed in the Bhola drugs case and claimed that all the accused had named Majithia as the kingpin in the case. “We were not asked, else we would also have named Majithia,” he said in response to a question from mediapersons, charging the Akali government with trying to protect the minister.
Though he had worked honestly and ceaselessly for 40 years, Majithia was not happy with his seniority and did not like the rise of a Dalit in the party, Phillaur said in response to questions.
Captain Amarinder welcomed the new joinees into the Congress, saying the move would help further strengthen the party ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections. The fact that many senior Akali leaders were leaving the party showed that Parkash Singh Badal’s hold on it was fast disappearing and Sukhbir Singh Badal was calling the shots. In fact, said Captain Amarinder, Sukhbir had systematically finished Senior Badal’s erstwhile kitchen cabinet and had brought in his own people
Ryait said he was disenchanted with AAP, with which he had been associated for the past six months, as they had proved to be against Punjab and Punjabis.