Punjab BJP Chief caught on wrong foot helping drug smugglers

CHANDIGARH: Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma has been facing an embarrassing situation over his proximity with drug smugglers. While role of Kamal Sharma is yet to be probed, the police has found his Personal Assistant and other close aides guilty of accepting bribe of Rs.35 lakhs from drug smugglers in lieu of political protection to them.The BJP seems to have lost trust of people of Punjab on its contradictory stand against drug menace in Punjab. Punjab BJP president had in fact worked against the public stand taken by BJP national leadership.
The voices for seeking resignation of Kamal Sharma are becoming louder with the police exposing the involvement of personal staff of Sharma in the bribery. Sukhpal Singh Nannu former Chief Parliamentary Secretary and BJP leader said that he had sent the report of Sharma’s activities to party president Amit Shah. He also demanded resignation of Sharma. Many other senior party leaders are putting moral pressure on Sharma to submit his papers. Union Food Processing minister and SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also said that Sharma must face the law if his name has figured in the probe.
Sharma had few months back demanded resignation of revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for his alleged involvement in synthetic drug racket. Sharma had developed close proximity with the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and also often faced criticism for being soft on alliance partner SAD. Sharma alleged to have made big fortune while hobnobbing with the Akalis. The Ferozepur Police has arrested Lakhwinder Singh Lakha one of the accused in bribery case while Jaspal Singh Sandhu Personal assistants of Kamal Sharma and Gurcharan Singh were on the run. The police had recovered Rs.14 lakhs from Lakha.
The Police is also probing the role of district BJP President Jagraj Singh Katora and DSP Balwinder Singh Sekhon in case related to preparing fake arms licenses. The police have arrested Manoj Khattar an employee of Deputy Commissioner office. The leads of this case also traced to Kamal Sharma since Katora is his loyalist.
Kamal Sharma has used his clout in the office of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to help get few drug smugglers off the hook and his aides accepted Rs.35 lakhs bribe.
This is not first time that close aides of Sharma were caught on wrong foot. Kikkar Singh BJP’s rural mandal (rural) president is facing triple murder case. Kikkar Singh a village Sarpanch was also elected President of Ferozepur market committee aty the instance of Kamal Sharma. Another close aide Vijay Atwal president of SCD wing of party is booked under section 307 of IPC by Ferozepur police. Ferozepur district KisanMmorcha president Gurbhej Singh has been facing a Rs.7 crore fraud case committed with Food Corporation of India.
All these leaders Kikkar Singh, Atwal and Gurbhej Singh had joined Congress party ahead of 2012 assembly elections with the hope that Congress would be coming to pwoer. However, after SAD-BJP government was formed, Kamal Sharma brought them back to BJP fold.
Sharma belonged to RSS cadre as he emerged Sangh activist in 80’s. He was appoinjted PRO of National Khadi Board at Delhi in 2004 for two eyars where he developed relations with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and was appointed his additional personal secretary for one year.