JALANDHAR/ ME Beaureo
President All India Kisan Congress and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira today questioned Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal over his promise of ridding politics off three “Cs”, corruption, criminals and characterless people.
“Quite contrary to Kejriwal’s claims, there are corrupt, there are criminals and there are characterless people in his government in Punjab”, Khaira alleged in a statement here today.
Blasting the AAP’s myth of providing corruption free and honest government, he pointed out, two of its ministers had already been sacked on corruption charges within the first nine months.
He said, while Dr Vijay Singla was sacked and jailed earlier, Fauja Singh Sarari against whom there was an open and shut case, had been let off with “resignation” only. He reiterated his demand for registering an FIR against Sarari and putting him behind the bars.
Similarly, he alleged that the AAP MP and Lovely University owner Ashok Mittal had grabbed Panchayat land worth Rs 100 crores in Chehru village in Phagwara district and nobody was questioning him. He said, while Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was evicting small farmers from Panchayat lands, he did not have the courage to get land grabbed by Mittal vacated.
Challenging Kejriwal on the issue of ridding politics of criminals, he said, two of his ministers were tainted and facing serious criminal charges including murder. He said recently appointed health minister Dr Balbir Singh had been convicted and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment. Where did your principles go while appointing a convict as the health minister?, he asked Kejriwal.
He said another minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was an accused in a murder case and the trial in this case was going on in an Amritsar court. Both Balbir Singh and Dhaliwal, he added, were on bail.
On the issue of character, he pointed out, AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra was accused of cheating and polygamy and no action had been taken against him.
Taking a dig at AAP’s claims over probity and character, Khaira pointed out, all these corrupt, criminals and characterless people were being defended and protected by Kejriwal and his party.