- Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria allegedly threatened Udayveer Randhawa, son of Congress leader Randhawa
- Randhawa accused AAP leaders of turning Punjab into a gangster-friendly state
- AAP spokesperson Neel Garg blamed Congress for fostering gangsters in Punjab
Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, currently in Assam jail, has initiated a war of words and allegations between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and Congress in Punjab. It all began when Udayveer, son of senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, allegedly received a death threat from Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Udayveer has alleged that AAP is hands in glove with Jaggu.
Speaking to media today, Udayveer said that Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's sister and mother supported the AAP government. He further claimed that Jaggu's brother had once acknowledged their political alignment, saying, "You are from Congress, I came from AAP."
What Is The Matter
On August 1, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "Jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuriya has threatened to kill my son. One of my associates met my son, and within one hour of leaving, he was fired upon today. I am in Delhi for the Parliament session - NO GANGSTER CAN SHAKE ME!"
Mr Randhawa further alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal have "turned Punjab into a gangster's paradise where law and order has totally collapsed."
Responding to the scathing attack, AAP Spokesperson Neel Garg blamed Mr Randhawa for putting gangster Jaggu on a pedestal and giving VIP treatment to Mukhtar Ansari.
"The gangsters who are threatening you today, they are the very product of your Congress," he wrote on X.
Mr Garg added that AAP has never been a supporter of terrorists, nor a patron of gangsters. "We are cleaning up Punjab. Neither any gangster will be spared, nor anyone else who gives them shelter," he added.
AAP's senior leader Baltej Pannu too cornered Mr Randhawa and asked for a reply on allegations made by Jaggu's brother regarding the alleged murder of village head Pappu Dhilwan.
Mr Garg also accused the Congress leader of "orchestrating Pappu Dhilwan's murder" and asked to respond to the allegations.
Udayveer has also refuted these allegations, saying that they don't have any role in the murder of the sarpanch. He defended his father, citing a report by IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, which had investigated political links to gangsters but did not find direct involvement in the Pappu Dhilwan case.
Earlier in June, Jaggu's mother, Harjit Kaur, and another person accompanying her died after being shot at by unidentified bike-borne people in Punjab's Batala. A complaint against Mr Randhawa and his son followed soon after.
"During the by-election, I had chased Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's brother, saying that we will not entertain hooliganism run in the elections. If we had any role, the AAP government would have acted against us. Our votes decreased in Bhagwanpur village while AAP gained, this indicates Jaggu and AAP are hand in glove over the vote bank," alleged Udayveer.
Udayveer has demanded an independent investigation into the matter.
