Bathinda BJP chief Singla trains guns on Manpreet Badal

Soon after joining the Bharatiya Janta Party on Wednesday afternoon, former Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal faced a verbal attack from the saffron party’s Bathinda district president.

BATHINDA

Singla, who is at loggerheads with the former finance minister Manpreet for the last several years, said he would share details of the issue with the party leadership at an opportune time. (ANI photo)

Soon after joining the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Wednesday afternoon, former Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal faced a verbal attack from the saffron party’s Bathinda district president.

Training guns on his bête noire, former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Sarup Chand Singla, who formally took over as the district BJP chief on Sunday, said he would keep pursuing his complaint to the vigilance bureau (VB) of alleged corruption against Manpreet and his aides.

On August 23, 2022, Singla submitted a complaint against Manpreet and his aides to the Bathinda VB accusing them of favouritism and corruption in granting contracts during the previous Congress regime (2017-22).

Singla, who is at loggerheads with the former finance minister Manpreet for the last several years, said he would share details of the issue with the party leadership at an opportune time.

“Manpreet has been inducted into the BJP by the central leadership and I don’t want to comment on it. But I firmly stand by my complaint to the VB and will never withdraw it. I will record my statement as and when asked to do. I am firm to stand with the people of Bathinda against wrongdoings done by Manpreet and his brother-in-law Jaijeet Johal,” he added.

However, people privy to the development say there is hardly any progress in the complaint.

Senior superintendent of police, vigilance, Bathinda zone, Harpal Singh said he was not aware of the status of the complaint against Manpreet.

“All complaints received at the zonal offices are sent to the VB directorate and the state headquarters decides the investigating officers. The matter has not come to us for a probe,” said the SSP.

After losing the 2022 state assembly elections, Singla left the SAD alleging that the top Akali leadership worked in favour of Manpreet.

“I still stand by the statement that being a Congress candidate, Manpreet had a secret pact with leaders of his former party, the SAD,” said Singla.

Manpreet was not available for comments.

Johal, who manages the former finance minister’s political affairs, said Manpreet would not ask Singla to withdraw his police complaint. “We have no grudges against anyone. The BJP is a disciplined party and it is up to the party leadership to look into such matters,” added Johal.