New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday condemned the arrest of its Punjab leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira by the Enforcement Directorate and termed it "vendetta".

The ED on Thursday arrested former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged drug racket being probed against him and others, officials said.

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"Another case of malicious vendetta unleashed by the BJP government and once again ED is unleashed on ex-Punjab MLA Sukhpal Khaira," said Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

The Congress strongly condemns the "wholly vindictive arrest" of Sukhpal by the ED, he said.

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"The ED can't be used as 'Election Department' to revive the lost political fortunes of BJP in Punjab," Surjewala added.

According to officials, Khaira, 56, was taken into custody by the central probe agency in Punjab under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

He was produced before a special PMLA court in Mohali where the ED will seek his remand.

The agency had raided the premises of Khaira in Chandigarh, his son-in-law Inderveer Singh Johal in Delhi and that of some linked persons in March this year.

The ED has alleged that Khaira is an "associate" of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)