Congress MLA Khaira Calls Suspension Unconstitutional, Slams AAP

• Khaira calls his suspension from the Punjab Assembly unjustified and unconstitutional.
• He disputes Harpal Cheema’s alleged claims linking him to an NDPS case.
• The Congress MLA demands that the 1986 Justice Gurnam Singh Commission report be tabled.
• Khaira alleges that his remarks have not been recorded in the Assembly proceedings.

GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 27th Oct: Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of acting in an undemocratic and unconstitutional manner, calling his suspension from the Punjab Legislative Assembly unjustified.

Speaking in Chandigarh, Khaira alleged that state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema had made false statements linking him to a narcotics case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Khaira claimed that the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings in the case in June 2024 and argued that the allegations against him were therefore misleading.

Khaira also rejected allegations linking his family to a firing incident in Nakodar around four decades ago, in which four people were killed. He referred to a commission headed by Justice Gurnam Singh, whose report was prepared in 1986, and said the document was still with the government.

Khaira Demands Tabling of Commission Report
The Congress MLA said he had repeatedly demanded that the 1986 report be tabled in the Punjab Legislative Assembly and that anyone found guilty be held accountable, regardless of family or political connections.

He alleged that the government had refused to make the report public while suspending him on the basis of verbal allegations.

Khaira also questioned the circumstances surrounding his suspension, claiming that his statements in the Assembly over the preceding three days had not been recorded. He argued that the absence of his remarks from the official record raised questions about the action taken against him.

‘Assembly Has Lost Its Soul’, Says Khaira
Taking aim at the functioning of the House, Khaira said he had intended to enter the Assembly to question Cheema over what he described as misleading statements.

He accused the ruling party of undermining democratic debate and said the Assembly had been reduced to a physical structure, with its democratic spirit damaged.

Khaira’s remarks add to the ongoing political confrontation between the Congress and the AAP government in Punjab. His allegations regarding the NDPS case, the Nakodar incident and the suspension remain his stated position.