Chandigarh: Punjab finance minister Harpal Cheema on Thursday accused the BJP of patronising gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who is lodged in Sabarmati Jail of Ahmedabad since 2014.
Interacting with newspersons after the adjournment of the first sitting of the two-day special session of the Punjab assembly, Cheema held that the recent murder of a businessman, Sanjay Verma, in Abohar was carried out by Bishnoi who is in Gujarat jail.
For record, Bishnoi’s name had also cropped up in connection with the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala on June 6, 2022 and also for allegedly issuing multiple threats to Bollywood star Salman Khan and also the October 12, 2024 killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, besides others.
Alleging that these gangsters are protected by BJP, Cheema went on to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes from Gujarat, Bishnoi is in a Gujarat jail. Why is BJP protecting him, why is he not sent to other states where he murders people, Cheema asked, adding that Bishnoi takes responsibility for every murder while sitting in jail in Gujarat? What does it show?, the minister further asked and held that the AAP government will now try to bring Bishnoi to Punjab on production warrant.
Responding to a question on the deteriorating law and order situation, Cheema held that the state AAP government is cleaning the state of legacy rot. Slamming Congress, he said that it had brought notorious gangster Mukhtar Ansari to jail in Punjab to give VIP treatment. Cheema went on to accuse opposition parties of also working in favour of drug mafia and gangsters.
HOMAGE TO A’BAD PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
Earlier, the opening day of the special session concluded in 11 minutes after paying tributes to those who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma and other personalities who passed away recently.
