Mansa (Pb)(PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the family of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala at their residence here and expressed condolences.
Gandhi drove straight to the singer's native village Moosa from the Chandigarh airport in the morning and spent nearly 50 minutes with the family.
He also paid floral tributes to Moosewala.
Several Congress leaders including Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, former deputy chief minister O P Soni and other party leaders accompanied him.
Security was tightened outside the residence of Moosewala in view of Gandhi's visit. Moosewala was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Mansa on May 29.
Gandhi was abroad when the killing took place and returned over the weekend.
Moosewala, who had joined the Congress December last year, had unsuccessfully contested from the Mansa seat in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Leaders cutting across parties and other prominent persons have been visiting Moosewala's native village to meet the family and express their condolences.
Shortly before Gandhi's arrival, Congress' Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, who was last year served a show-cause notice for her alleged anti-party activities, also paid a visit to the singer's house and expressed condolences.
However, she left before the former Congress chief arrived.
Kaur is the wife of former chief minister Amarinder Singh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have already met Moosewala's parents.
Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa had written to CM Mann, urging him to "transfer the murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) so that justice can be delivered to the family at the earliest.
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Tumakuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said his recent remarks on the demolition of properties linked to those involved in narcotics trade were "misunderstood and misinterpreted".
His clarification follows remarks made two days ago on the government's uncompromising crackdown on the drug menace, including action against properties linked to foreign nationals allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
"It is unfortunate. It is taken in the wrong sense. I didn't mean that tomorrow itself I am going to send bulldozers and demolish the houses. That was not my intention. It was wrongly taken," he told reporters here.
Responding to Congress MLC K Abdul Jabbar's question in the legislative council on the growing drug menace in Bengaluru, Davangere and coastal districts, the minister on Thursday detailed the extensive enforcement measures initiated since the Congress government assumed office.
Pointing to the involvement of some foreign nationals, the minister had said, "Many foreign students from African countries have come to Karnataka. They are into the drug business. We catch them and register cases against them, but they want the case to be registered because once the case is registered, we cannot deport them."
"We have gone to the extent of demolishing the rented building where they stay," he had said.
