SAD, BJP seek Khaira's removal as leader of opposition in Pb

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP today urged the Punjab governor to "immediately remove" AAP legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the post of leader of opposition in Punjab assembly as he has been summoned by a Fazilka court in an alleged drug case.
The demand was put forward by a joint delegation of SAD-BJP to Governor V P Singh Badnore here.
After submitting a memorandum to the governor, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Khaira's continuance as leader of opposition in the assembly after being summoned by the Fazilka court in a 2015 drug case will "sully the August chair".

"Khaira had been summoned as an accused in a drugs case with anti-national antecedents due to seizure of Pakistani weapons and SIMs by a Fazilka court," he said.
Sukhbir said that the delegation urged the governor to act expeditiously in the matter as this was an "extraordinary case in which the leader of opposition had been made an accused after submission of overwhelming evidence against him".
He alleged that it "appears the Congress government was getting ready to play a friendly game with Khaira".

The SAD leader said despite the court order, the government has not filed a chargesheet in the case.

The delegation, including senior SAD leaders S S Dhindsa and B S Bhundar, besides Som Parkash from the BJP also urged the governor to direct the Congress government to immediately implement the Rs 90,000 crore loan waiver as promised by it.
The delegation told the governor that farm suicides were on the rise and farmer accounts had been declared as NPA (non performing assets) making them ineligible to take future loans, Sukhbir said.
The delegation also alleged that the Congress government had deliberately not hiked the State Assured Price (SAP) of sugarcane "because its ministers were sugar barons, which was a clear case of conflict of interest".

The delegation requested the governor to direct the government to hike the price to at least Rs 350 per quintal, saying even Haryana was paying Rs 330 per quintal against Rs 300 per quintal SAP in Punjab, he said.
It also urged the governor to direct the government to take action against sand mining mafia allegedly being run by Congress legislators in Punjab, Sukhbir said.
The delegation also requested to ensure 60:40 ratio of officers between Punjab and Haryana in UT Chandigarh administration besides enforcing Punjabi as the official language of the UT, he said.