Chandigarh (National Times): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has launched a scathing attack on former CM Captain Amarinder Singh for defending Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, an accused in a high-profile drug case. The sharp political exchange comes after Captain Amarinder criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for what he termed as “political vendetta” and “assault on democracy.”
Reacting strongly to Amarinder Singh’s statement, CM Bhagwant Mann said,
“Captain Sahib, today you’re suddenly concerned about the human rights of drug smugglers… When people’s sons were writhing in agony and dying under your and your nephew’s rule, you were sitting in gatherings back then.”
Mann accused the former CM of turning a blind eye to the drug crisis during his tenure and now attempting to politicize legal proceedings against Majithia.
“Now Punjab has seen through the hypocritical faces of all of you, but sadly, only after losing so much,” Mann said in a pointed remark.
He also took a dig at Amarinder’s recent alignment with the BJP, questioning the sincerity of his statements:
“The BJP will now dismiss your statement as personal to wash its hands of it… Where has the oath of Gutka Sahib Ji gone?”
—a direct jibe at the sacred promise Amarinder made during his 2017 campaign to eradicate drugs from Punjab.
Captain Amarinder Singh, in his statement earlier this week, alleged that the AAP-led Punjab government is resorting to “cheap sensationalism, political vendetta, and ruthless repression” instead of governance.
“The targeted harassment of Bikram Singh Majithia is a shocking example of their inhuman tactics,” he stated, calling the legal actions against Majithia “political persecution.”
He further accused the AAP government of muzzling dissent and claimed that Punjab is being “remotely controlled from Delhi like a mafia operation.”
The war of words has reignited the debate over Punjab’s long-standing drug problem and political complicity. While the AAP government has vowed to take strict action against all those involved in the drug trade—regardless of political affiliations—Captain Amarinder’s defense of Majithia has raised eyebrows, especially given his past public promises to eliminate the drug menace.
Political analysts view this clash as more than a personal feud, it reflects deeper fault lines between the state’s old guard and the current leadership, particularly on issues of accountability, law enforcement, and public perception.
As the situation intensifies, all eyes are on the legal developments in the Majithia case, which continues to be a litmus test for the Punjab government’s stance on narcotics and political corruption.
