Chandigarh, April 15
Bharatiya Janata Party’s state president Sunil Jakhar said that if Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had genuinely acted on his much-publicized “zero tolerance against corruption” policy, then central agencies like the ED or CBI would not have needed to come to Punjab today. However, the Chief Minister continues to distribute certificates of “Katar imandari,” while the reality keeps getting exposed before the public every day.
Referring to a recent case, he said that even now, after four years of the AAP government suppressing the scholarship scam, remarks by the High Court have clearly exposed the government’s intentions. He added that the Chief Minister once made a lot of noise about this major scam, but it is unclear what kind of compromise was reached that he has now stopped speaking about it.
Jakhar was responding to questions from journalists regarding the ED’s investigation into an AAP MP. He said that the individual is not only a Member of Parliament but also the owner of a private university, and after the High Court’s recent strict remarks on the scholarship scam, it is possible that the ED has taken note of it. He advised the Chief Minister to wait for the investigation to be completed.
Jakhar stated that a major scam took place in the post-matric scholarship scheme meant for poor students in Punjab. It came to light that several large colleges and universities not only looted the government treasury in the name of poor students but also severely harmed the education of thousands of SC students. He questioned why an investigation should not be conducted, regardless of who owns these institutions.
Referring to the Chief Minister recently warning his ministers and MLAs to stay away from corrupt practices, Jakhar said that if the Chief Minister knows everything, then why is no action being taken? Why is the Chief Minister protecting his own people while admitting in meetings that he is aware of everything?
Jakhar said that actions taken by the central government are not acts of revenge but that the law is doing its job. He also demanded an investigation into people allegedly appointed in the name of the Punjab Development Council without any constitutional authority. He accused the Chief Minister of betraying the people of Punjab by handing over governance to outsiders. He said the public will not forgive this and will respond in the next elections, just as voters did in Delhi. “The public knows everything,” he added.
Responding to another question on the BBMB issue Jakhar said not only Punjab does not have a drop of water to spare for any other state. Moreover water is not just a technical or administrative issue for Punjab but a sentimental one for Punjab and Punjabis. He further emphasised that these sentiments must be understood and respected whenever such matters are discussed to avoid any action being perceived against state’s interests. Punjab government should must be taken on board while taking a call on issue dealing with waters of Punjab, even when Punjab government has a very dismal record having failed even to fill 1780 vacancies from its quota in BBMB and has shown utter neglect in the case of collapse of gates of Madhupur dam during floods and still hasn’t taken any against responsible senior officers.
