Chandigarh, February 23 A gate and a portion of the structure near the residence of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira were demolished by the district authorities as part of an anti-encroachment drive in Ramgarh village in Bholath, in Kapurthala, with the legislator alleging that the demolition took place without any prior notice.
Khaira called his supporters before the drive began and criticized the AAP government for the action. He described the demolition as the "dangerous introduction of bulldozer politics" in Punjab by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, under the direction of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, "to silence voices of criticism and democratic dissent".
The Congress MLA claimed that a portion of his legitimate ancestral house in his native village, a property where his family has resided for over 200 years, was illegally demolished by the district administration using heavy police force.
Khaira alleged that he was neither served any prior notice nor given an opportunity to be heard before the demolition took place.
He claimed that he possesses complete documentary records of ownership and asserted that not even an inch of his village property is illegal or unauthorized.
Khaira said he will soon approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the demolition of his lawful property.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress leaders strongly condemned the demolition.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, AICC general secretary and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and former minister Pargat Singh, in a joint statement, warned the Aam Aadmi Party government against the "brutal abuse of power out of sheer political vendetta".
"This is too much," they warned.
In a joint statement, the Congress leaders also cautioned the officials against participating in the "illegal and unlawful" bidding of the AAP government, which was already in its final stages.
"Nobody will come to your rescue when you are held accountable for your omissions and commissions," the Congress leaders said.
The Congress leaders maintained that demolishing the outer wall of Khaira's ancestral house in Ramgarh village in the Bholath assembly segment was a "clear act of political vendetta aimed at silencing him".
"The ruling party and its leaders are miserably mistaken that they can intimidate and arm-twist the Congress leaders and prevent them from exposing the government's failures," they said, while alleging that the latest action only reveals the AAP's desperation and frustration after having completely lost public support.
"Do not set a wrong precedent," the Congress leaders warned AAP.
"Your time is up, as your countdown has started, and we will hold you accountable for every action," they said.
The senior Congress leaders also served a categorical ultimatum to the government officials and the police against going to any extreme to please and appease their political masters by intimidating Congress workers and leaders.
"Everything is being noted. Everything is being recorded. Nothing will be forgotten. Nothing will be forgiven," the leaders said.
BJP leader and Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the demolition of the boundary wall.
In a post on X, Sirsa said, "Ever since @AAPPunjab came into power, Arvind Kejriwal has tried to misuse the Punjab Police to threaten his political opponents. What the Punjab Police did at the residence of @SukhpalKhaira is a repeat of the same.
"This act can only be termed disgraceful, vindictive, and a gross abuse of state power. CM @BhagwantMann Ji, remember that political power is not always permanent, and every unlawful act as the head of the state will have to be answered. Punjab is watching, and justice will prevail."
SAD leader Majithia said, "On one hand, law and order has completely collapsed in Punjab, and on the other, the AAP government is trying to suppress the voice of opposition leaders through the police."