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Amid rising political tension over his alleged links with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Udayveer Randhawa, son of senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Randhawa, addressed the accusations in a detailed press interaction today. He firmly rejected claims made by AAP MLA Gurlal Randhawa and activist Baltej Pannu, who alleged ties between the Randhawa family and criminal elements.
Udayveer questioned AAP's double standards, stating that it was Jaggu Bhagwanpuria's sister and mother who supported the AAP government, as seen in a video where they blocked roads after their mother's death, blaming local leaders for inaction. He further claimed that Jaggu's brother had once acknowledged their political alignment, saying, "You are from Congress, I came from AAP." He showed a list from the 2019 panchayat elections when his father was the Jail Minister, highlighting that the reserved SC seat was converted to a general category, allegedly to favor Jaggu, who is not from the SC community. "This seat adjustment led to Jaggu's proxy candidate winning," he alleged. Addressing Baltej Pannu's claims of continued association, Udayveer admitted that Pannu had frequently visited their house between 2018-2020, but maintained there was no criminal linkage. 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. Refuting CM Bhagwant Mann's remarks regarding political-criminal nexus, Udayveer appealed to him "as a father figure" to ensure justice and not politicize the issue. "My father never used me or any children for politics," he said, referencing his family's political restraint. He alleged that Jaggu Bhagwanpuria had issued threats to several political leaders and demanded that any investigation into Congress leaders should also include Jaggu's statements against them. "If action is to be taken, take it, but do so fairly and include Jaggu's comments against Congress in the probe," he said. Udayveer also accused Baltej Pannu of having "blood on his hands" over Sidhu Moosewala's murder and warned him not to target innocent families. When asked why Sukhjinder Randhawa hasn't responded personally, Udayveer clarified that his father is currently busy with Lok Sabha responsibilities. He also raised serious allegations against Gurdeep Randhawa's PA, linking him to a 1.30 crore heroin recovery case and alleging his son's name had surfaced in vigilance investigations, though the family denies any official connection. Defending his father's tenure as Jail Minister, Udayveer reiterated that responsibilities such as shifting prisoners or cases like Ansari's fall beyond the minister's scope. "The Jail Minister only oversees prisoners inside Punjab's jails. Transferring inmates from other jails is not his jurisdiction," he clarified. Earlier Sukjinder Randhawa had claimed a threat to his son's life from the gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuriya. "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! @BhagwantMann and @ArvindKejriwal have turned Punjab into a gangster's paradise where law and order has totally collapsed," he alledged in a post on X on August 1. The controversy continues to deepen as both AAP and Congress trade charges, while the public awaits a neutral investigation into alleged political-criminal linkages. (ANI)
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