The political atmosphere in Punjab heated up on Monday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a fierce attack on former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the Badal family. This came a day after the BJP leader advocated for an alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP in the state.
A Decade-Rotating "Conspiracy of Plunder"
Addressing a press conference, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema accused Captain Amarinder Singh and the Badals of orchestrating a "two-decade-long conspiracy to plunder the state's resources." He claimed that leaders who have been rejected by the people of Punjab are now dreaming of a return to power.
Cheema alleged that from 2002 to 2022, the two families systematically rotated power to enrich themselves while providing each other mutual protection from legal consequences. "Punjab will no longer tolerate the politics of loot dominated by these two families," the AAP minister stated emphatically.
Reciprocal Protection and Shelved Cases
Elaborating on the serious allegations, Cheema provided a specific timeline. He claimed that during Captain Amarinder Singh's first term as Chief Minister (2002-2007), cases of disproportionate assets were filed against the Badal family. However, he alleged that Amarinder "deliberately delayed the prosecution" of these cases.
The plot thickened, according to Cheema, when the SAD-BJP government took over in 2007. He alleged that all those cases were promptly quashed and shelved. The Finance Minister asserted that this was "no coincidence" but rather a "deep-rooted, reciprocal agreement" between the two political families.
Questioning Credibility and Warning of Retribution
Cheema also took aim at Captain Amarinder Singh's political journey, dubbing him a "master of defection." He highlighted Amarinder's shifts from the Akali Dal to the Congress, then to forming his own party, and finally joining the BJP. The AAP leader further accused Amarinder of acting more like "the chief minister for the BJP than for the Congress" during his term from 2017 to 2022.
The press conference also touched upon the sensitive issue of sacrilege cases, with Cheema accusing both the Congress and the Akalis of failing to take action.
Issuing a stark warning, Harpal Cheema said that these leaders mistakenly believe Punjabis have forgotten their tactics. "Punjabis deliver retribution even after 20 years," he declared. He reminded the public how the state's wealth was stripped and how sacred Panthic positions were allegedly manipulated first by Parkash Singh Badal and then by his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal.
The AAP's sharp reaction sets the stage for a contentious political battle in Punjab, framing the upcoming electoral dynamics as a fight against what they call an entrenched system of mutual back-scratching and corruption.
