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Chandigarh, March 1
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday met Bikram Singh Majithia in Patiala jail.
Talking to reporters in Patiala, Badal accused Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa of registering a “false” case against Majithia.
The Shiromani Akali Dal chief said they have complete faith in the judicial system and the entire party stands behind Majithia.
Majithia, who is Harsimrat Kaur’s brother, was sent to judicial custody for two weeks on February 24 after he surrendered before a Mohali court in connection with a drugs case. The court had rejected his bail plea on February 25.
The Supreme Court had recently directed the Punjab Police to not arrest the former Punjab minister till February 23 in a drugs case so he can undertake electioneering in the state.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli had, however, directed Majithia to surrender before a trial court after the Punjab assembly polls on February 20.
Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on December 20 last year.
On the students from Punjab who are stranded in Ukraine, Badal urged the Centre to intensify its efforts to bring them back safely from the war-torn country.
“The students who are stuck in Ukraine should be evacuated immediately,” he said.
When asked how many seats the SAD-BSP alliance will win in the assembly polls, Badal exuded confidence, “We will win 80 seats.”
The polling for 117 assembly segments in Punjab was held on February 20 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10.
Badal took an exception to the Centre’s recent decision of making changes in the rules for selection of two functionaries of the Bhakra Beas Management Board.
“The SAD has always supported the federal structure but slowly the rights of the states are diminishing,” he said.
The recent change in the rules for appointment of BBMB’s two members kicked up a row with several political leaders in Punjab strongly opposing the Centre’s move.
The BBMB, which is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas, has a whole-time chairman and two members—member (irrigation) and member (power).
According to convention, member (power) is always from Punjab and member (irrigation) is from Haryana and they are selected from a panel of senior engineers. However, now the changes in the rules for selection allow anyone to apply for these posts.
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