Khaira now regrets swear words, but claims to have more info on ‘bribe to judge’
CHANDIGARH: With the municipal polls on December 17 being the new battle, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) put up a united show behind a mellowed leader of opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Saturday.
Flanked by state AAP president Bhagwant Mann and known dissenters such as MLA Baljinder Kaur, Khaira expressed remorse for use of swear words against CM Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress leaders during a press briefing at the assembly on the concluding day of the three-day winter session. Khaira had unleashed a frontal attack on Amarinder after the government brought a resolution against the Bains brothers of the Lok Insaaf Party, AAP’S ally, over allegations that a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court was bribed to not stay summons against him by a Fazilka court in a drug case. A stay was given by the Supreme Court on Friday.
“It was an unfortunate development. They dragged the assembly into vendetta politics by bringing the resolution (against the allegations). I take back the wrong words used by me,” he said at a press conference. He did not withdraw his statements on Amarinder’s personal life. “That is a matter of record. I am collecting more information on the CM’S friend from Pakistan,” he said.
Claiming that he has the support of AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Khaira said Kejriwal is guiding him legally, and the petition in the SC was filed on his advice. To a query on Kejriwal’s silence over the summons, he said, “Has Sonia Gandhi (Congress chief) ever reacted to court summons to Amarinder? I am in constant touch with Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia (Delhi deputy CM). The resolution proves Amarinder is behind the payment of Rs 35 lakh bribe against me.”
Khaira had, on the day of the allegations, named Amarinder, SAD president Sukhbir Badal and power minister Rana Gurjit as the conspirators behind the court summons, but later dropped Captain’s name.
Referring to the audio clip that forms the basis of the allegations, Khaira said a longer version of the recording (1 hour 39 minutes) also has reference to an officer of the IAS and three advocates who work as “go-betweens”. The clip has a purported conversation between lawyer Amit Chaudhary and TK Goyal, a dismissed PCS officer, about payment to a judge in connection with the Khaira case. “We have more information, which we will give at the time of an investigation,” he said.
LIP chief Simarjeet said Amarinder is inflamed by his appeal in a court to become party in the Ludhiana City Centre scam case: “We were never scared of Badals and we are now not scared of Amarinder.”
AAP SYMBOL IN POLLS TO 3 CORPORATIONS
On whether the party will contest the MC polls on its symbol, Mann said they will contest for three corporations, Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar, on the symbol and leave the rest to nominees’ choice between symbol and independent candidature.