Chandigarh, March 12— Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Wednesday slammed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for attaching his Chandigarh residence in an alleged money laundering case, stating that this is the price for raising genuine concerns related to Punjab, whether water issues or others.
“This is the price of raising your voice for your community and speaking out against the BJP government. They are harassing and threatening people to silence any dissent in the country,” Khaira said.
The ED claims Khaira received ₹3.82 crore from an international drug syndicate, which was allegedly used to fund his election campaigns and personal expenses.
Khaira said he learned about the attachment through media reports, accusing the agency of running a “media trial” instead of following legal procedures.
“Sharing such sub-judice information on X before officially notifying me proves their real intent—character assassination,” he said.
He further alleged a coordinated attack by the BJP-led Centre and Punjab’s AAP government, stating, “For years, I have been facing an extreme political witch-hunt, but I won’t be silenced.”
The Congress MLA has repeatedly fought legal battles over similar allegations. Arrested by the ED in November 2021, he secured bail in 2022. Punjab Police arrested him in September 2023 under the NDPS Act, but the Supreme Court quashed the summons against him in February 2023.
In January 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail, calling the evidence against him “sketchy and inconclusive.”
Punjab Congress leaders rallied behind Khaira, calling the ED’s move part of the BJP’s political strategy.
Party president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring termed the attachment a desperate attempt to suppress opposition voices.
“From Bhupesh Baghel to Sukhpal Khaira, the BJP is misusing agencies to target leaders who challenge them,” Warring said.
Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa accused the Centre of fearing Congress’s growing influence in Punjab. “This is nothing but vendetta politics,” he said.
The ED justified its action, citing financial records showing Khaira’s family spent ₹6.61 crore between 2014 and 2020, exceeding their known income by ₹3.82 crore. The agency alleged this amount came from drug smuggling operations linked to Gurdev Singh, a convicted trafficker. A chargesheet was filed against Khaira and Gurdev in October 2023 before a special PMLA court in Mohali.
Congress leaders questioned the ED’s claims, with Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa asking how a house built in 1990 could be linked to transactions from 2015. “This is BJP’s ‘Operation Opposition’ in action. Just like they found nothing in Bhupesh Baghel’s case, they will fail here too,” he said.