Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday launched a scathing attack on opposition leaders for what he called their shameless U-turns on the issue of drug trade and the legal action against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Cheema accused leaders from Congress and BJP of now defending Majithia — despite having once called for his arrest — and presented damning audio-visual clips of their earlier statements demanding action against him.   The same leaders who once promised to drag Majithia to justice are today shielding him from accountability. Their political hypocrisy stands exposed, said Cheema during a press conference held at the AAP headquarters, after an initial mix-up over the venue. Cheema had earlier reached Punjab Bhawan in Sector 3 to address the media, only to realize that the conference had been arranged at the partys head office in Sector 39.   Citing specific examples, Cheema recalled how Congress leader and current Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had declared at a 2016 rally in Patti that Majithia would be paraded in front of the CIA staff once Congress came to power. Today, the same Bajwa calls the AAP governments action against Majithia political vendetta, Cheema remarked.   He also played a clip of senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira accusing Majithia of having direct links with drug mafias and urging Akali workers to protest outside Majithias house. Similarly, Cheema reminded the media of former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channis earlier statement branding Majithia as the man responsible for Punjabs drug crisis — contrasting it with his current criticism of the AAP governments probe.   Cheema didnt spare BJPs Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu either. He once said Majithia was the man who flooded villages with drugs and should never be released from jail. Now, Bittus tone has changed completely, the Minister said.   Slamming the decade-long rule of the SAD-BJP alliance from 2007 to 2017, Cheema claimed that this period was the darkest in Punjabs history when the drug trade thrived. When Punjabs youth were falling prey to drugs, these leaders either stayed silent or allowed it to flourish. And now, theyre obstructing justice, he said.   Cheema asserted that the AAP Government will not back down under political pressure and will pursue the investigation against Majithia and others linked to the drug mafia to its logical conclusion. No one is above the law — be it a former minister or a sitting MP. The people of Punjab are watching, and they will not forgive those who put political interests above the states future, he said.   Calling out the oppositions moral bankruptcy, Cheema concluded, This isnt just about Majithia. Its about the credibility of our political system. The AAP government stands firm — our fight against drugs will continue until the last peddler and protector of the trade is behind bars.   SAD Defends Majithia, Slams AAP for Political Vendetta   SAD on Monday came out strongly in defence of senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia, accusing the AAP Government of pursuing a political vendetta against him. In its first meeting since reconstitution, the partys core committee, chaired by President Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleged that Majithia was being targeted because he had consistently exposed AAPs corruption and failures.   Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that the disproportionate assets case against Majithia, like the earlier NDPS case, was fabricated and politically motivated, aimed solely at silencing opposition voices.   The party also expressed gratitude to political leaders across the spectrum who have extended support to Majithia, terming the AAP action a witch hunt.   SAD warned that it would not remain silent and would launch a peoples campaign to expose the governments alleged misuse of agencies, poor governance, and failure to tackle drugs and lawlessness. Majithia is being falsely implicated while corrupt AAP leaders are being shielded, Daljit Cheema said, vowing that the party would fight both politically and legally to clear his name.

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