Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday condemned Sukhpal Singh Khaira for trying to force his way into former Cabinet Minister Rana Gurjit Singh’s factory in Batala and warned that any attempt by the Aam Aadmi Party leader to take the law in his hands would be dealt with as per law.
“Mr. Khaira was indulging in cheap street politics to grab media and public attention ahead of Monday’s Shahkot bypoll,” said Capt. Amarinder, adding that Mr. Khaira’s trespass bid amounted to sheer violation of the law, with the potential to trigger violence.
“Despite being warned about the serious trouble it could lead to, considering the fact that the move could have provoked the mill workers and staff into retaliation, Mr. Khaira did not desist from moving towards the premises,” said the Chief Minister. He termed it an attempt on the AAP leader’s part to divert public attention on the eve of polling.
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Capt. Amarinder said the AAP had a history of resorting to theatrics in the run-up to any election and Mr. Khaira’s act had exposed the party’s desperation in the face of their imminent wipe-out in the Shahkot by-election.
Meanwhile, Mr. Khaira said he was in Buttar Siviato to inspect the villages adjacent to the sugar factory including Dhardion, Buttar, Gagarbhana, where the villagers had told him about their problems due to pollution caused by the factory.
“I had not gone to Buttar Sivia to fight with anybody but to listen to the problems of the people as a public representative so that they could be raised in the Vidhan Sabha,” said Mr. Khaira. He added that he was forcefully stopped outside the factory from examining the ‘drain’ where pollutants from the factory were being thrown. “The police acted as a mute spectator and instead of taking any action against the ‘goons’, they pressurised me to cancel the programme,” said Mr. Khaira.
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Rana Sugars Private Limited, however, refuted the charges and accused Mr. Khaira of running a malicious campaign against it.
“It is so characteristic of Mr. Khaira to resort to theatrics and create a hype and eventually beat a hasty retreat taking one excuse or the other,” Rana Veer Partap Singh, one of the directors of the company and son of Rana Gurjeet Singh, said.
Mr. Singh added that the company was running strictly according to the norms of the Environment Ministry and the pollution control board and had obtained all mandatory clearances, which were renewed from time to time after proper scrutiny and examination.