Amarinder should step down if he is unable to rein in sand mafia: AAP

New Delhi: The AAP on Thursday slammed the Congress government in Punjab over an alleged attack on its MLA Amarjeet Singh Sandoa by the goons of mining mafia in Ropar, and demanded that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh step down if he was "unable" to rein in sand mafia in the state.

Senior AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, on Thursday claimed that Sandoa was attacked by the goons of sand mining mafia near Nurpur Bedi in Ropar district, following which he was rushed to PGIMER in Chandigarh. 

The AAP MLA's turban was tossed up during the attack and even two of his security personnel were thrashed. 

Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Ashish Khetan said, "If the Congress government (in Punjab) is unable to rein in sand mining and other types of mafia who are in fact dominating the government, Amarinder Singh loses moral ground to rule and he should step down." 

The AAP is only party in Punjab whose MLAs are raising their voice against mining mafia in the state, he said in Delhi. 

"Sandoa was active in opposing sand mining mafia in the area and had stopped their activity four months back. He was attacked when he went there today," the AAP spokesperson said. 

The attack on the AAP MLA comes three days after two employees of the Punjab's forest department were attacked by the sand mafia, even as four other officials had escaped with minor injuries.