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Leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bikram Singh Majithia, has come under fire from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which claims that his recent visit to the Patiala jail was a political ploy rather than an earnest attempt to address the issues of Sikh inmates. In response to Majithia’s allegation that she was barred from meeting Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is presently detained in the jail, the chief spokesperson for the AAP in Punjab claimed that the Akali Dal leader’s intention was to stage a show rather than have a meaningful conversation.
According to the AAP spokesperson, the jail administration had already communicated on December 2 that the meeting with Rajoana would not take place due to strict rules and regulations. The spokesperson further criticized SAD’s attempts to exploit the issue for political gain, citing the recent by-election where voters saw through their tactics and did not support them.
Speaking to Majithia, the AAP representative questioned his conduct from 2007 to 2017, when he served as a minister in the Punjab government. The spokesperson specifically inquired as to how frequently Majithia had met with Sikh detainees during that time. Claiming to have shown no real concern for Sikh prisoners while in government, the AAP spokesman highlighted Majithia’s apparent awakening to the problem after he left office.
