AAP suspends Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from party for 5 years

Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday suspended Amritsar North MLA and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from the party for five years for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.

Singh's suspension came days after he questioned the manner in which a Vigilance Bureau team raided the residence of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in Amritsar in a disproportionate assets case.

The decision to suspend Singh from the party was taken by the AAP's political affairs committee, party sources said, adding the government's message is clear that politics cannot be tolerated in the campaign against drugs.

There is no place in the party for those who try to create hindrance in the campaign against drugs, the sources said.

They said Singh has been suspended from the party for five years for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.

Soon after the news of his suspension emerged on social media, Singh posted on Facebook, "Kabir, jis marne te jag dare, mere man anand' (Kabir, the world is afraid of dying, but my mind is happy)."

The Vigilance Bureau on June 25 arrested Majithia after conducting a raid at his residence in the disproportionate assets case.

Majithia and his wife Ganieve Kaur Majithia, who is an Akali MLA, had protested against the raid, alleging 30 members of the Vigilance Bureau barged into their house in Amritsar.

Majithia had even shared the video of the raid operation.

Singh had shared the same video on his Facebook on June 25 and wrote, "The dignity of a family is shared by all -whether one is a politician, actor, rich or poor, friend or foe. Carrying out a raid at someone's house early in the morning is against principles. Almost every government has misused the police and vigilance agencies for its own benefit, but the result has never been significant."

He further wrote, "I may have political or ideological differences with someone, but when it comes to principles, religion, and integrity, it becomes necessary to discuss. When Majithia sahib was in jail in a case registered during the Congress government, the Mann government did not seek any remand nor did any questioning. Later, the state apparatus under Mann sahib even facilitated his bail."

Singh also wrote, "The honourable high court granted bail (to Majithia) on grounds that if the police do not require (him) for interrogation, keeping in custody is against the law.

"When he was in custody, the government facilitated his bail, and now suddenly, notices are issued to him for questioning, and today a raid is being conducted at his house," he said.

Singh has remained a vocal critic of the AAP government over many issues.

He had earlier expressed his displeasure over the handling of the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incident cases in Faridkot, seeking justice in the matter.

Singh was part of the Punjab Police special investigation team, which probed the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan policing firing incidents.

In the Assembly, Singh raised the 2015 sacrilege issue many times.

Singh was also critical of his government following the death of more than 20 people due to spurious liquor consumption in Amritsar in May.

After taking premature retirement from police service in 2021, Singh joined the AAP and was later elected as MLA from the Amritsar North seat.