Former ED officer Niranjan Singh leaves Waris Punjab De over 'non-negotiable' issues
Former Enforcement Directorate deputy director Niranjan Singh has announced that he is disassociating himself from Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, days after joining the outfit ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.
In a statement posted on social media, Singh said he had initially extended his support to the party over issues including the drug menace, corruption, gangsters, extortion and alleged involvement of police personnel in drug trafficking.
However, he said he had developed differences with the organisation over certain issues that he considered “non-negotiable”.
“I had given my support to the Akali Dal, Waris Punjab De, on the issues of drug menace in Punjab, high corruption, gangsters, extortion and involvement of police personnel in the drug trafficking but there are differences on some issues which are non-negotiable,” Singh said.
He stressed that people holding public positions must conduct themselves within the framework of the Constitution.
“The conduct of the persons in public life has to be within the Constitution of India. I wish them well,” he said. (Credits: Facebook/Niranjan Singh) Singh also issued the statement in Punjabi, reiterating that his differences with the organisation were over issues on which he was not prepared to compromise.HAD JOINED PARTY OVER DRUG MENACE
Singh had formally joined Akali Dal Waris Punjab De on September 23, along with former Punjab Police DSP Balwinder Singh Sekhon. The development came ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
At the time, Singh said his decision was driven primarily by concerns over Punjab's drug problem, corruption and law and order. He had said he was not entering politics for personal gain and wanted to contribute using his experience.
“Akali Dal Waris Punjab De approached me saying that I have experience on crime issues, so I have joined them,” Singh had said.
He had also criticised successive governments over the drug problem, saying the previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments had failed to address the issue. Referring to the then-opposition parties' anti-drug campaigns, Singh had questioned why such yatras had not been organised when those parties were in power.
“In the present government also people are dying because of drugs in Punjab. So this shows not much has been done,” he had said.
Singh had said that drug abuse remained a major problem in Punjab and expressed hope that Waris Punjab De would be able to contribute towards tackling it.SINGH'S BACKGROUND IN DRUG INVESTIGATIONS
Singh retired from the Enforcement Directorate in May 2021 after handling several high-profile cases linked to drug trafficking in Punjab, including the multi-crore Jagdish Bhola drug racket case.
During his tenure, he also questioned senior political figures in connection with investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
He was subsequently transferred from Jalandhar to Kolkata, a transfer that was later revoked by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Waris Punjab De, led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, has sought to position itself around issues including drugs, corruption and governance ahead of the Punjab elections. Singh's decision to initially join the organisation had therefore attracted attention given his background in investigating drug-related cases.
His latest decision to disassociate himself from the outfit, however, comes with a clear emphasis on constitutional conduct and his differences over what he described as non-negotiable issues.- Ends
Kamaljit Sandhu is an award winning journalist working as Deputy Editor in India Today. She has nearly two decades of experience as a full time TV journalist. She covers "conflict" regions, Internal security matters, MEA and Parliament. Her work has often led to crisscrossing the country. She has also traveled to Pakistan and Iran, in pursuit of news stories. In 2019, she received the ENBA Award for best news programming for her ground report on "surviving Bastar" which was based on the government's policy on inducting tribals in Crpf in chattisgarh to counter naxals.
Personal interests: Kamaljit likes travelling, interior decoration and playing scrabble, Has varied interests in sporting activities like swimming, badminton and Yoga.
