The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday sparred over the vigilance probe ordered by the state government into the alleged involvement of former speaker Rana KP Singh in illegal mining activities in Rupnagar and Anandpur Sahib.
The Congress leaders rallied behind Rana KP as he demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a sitting high court judge into the mining activities during the last five-and-a-half years. Accompanied by Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Rana KP urged chief minister Bhagwant Mann to order a thorough probe into mining activities during five years of the Congress rule and first six months of his own government.
The former speaker’s riposte came after mines and geology minister Harjot Singh Bains ordered the vigilance bureau (VB) to probe the former speaker. Accusing him of “political vendetta”, Rana KP also demanded that the minister should be removed from the state cabinet due to alleged rampant illegal mining in the present government despite a ban imposed by the court on mining activity during the monsoon season. The former speaker alleged that the minister had a personal grudge since he had fought elections against him from Anandpur Sahib.
Rana KP denied that the CBI had wanted the matter to be probed last year, stating that there was no such issue and there were only anonymous unsigned complaints, which could not be taken note of. Warring also condemned the AAP government for its alleged “sustained and malicious campaign” against the Congress leaders. “The Congress party does not need any certificate from anyone,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Rana KP denied that the CBI had wanted the matter to be probed last year, stating that there was no such issue and there were only anonymous unsigned complaints, which could not be taken note of. Warring also condemned the AAP government for its alleged “sustained and malicious campaign” against the Congress leaders. “The Congress party does not need any certificate from anyone,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The AAP hit back at the Congress, accusing the party of shielding the leaders who had looted Punjab for decades instead of working for the welfare of the common people. AAP’s state chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang asked Warring and Bajwa as to why they are afraid of a government investigation if their leaders are clean and have done nothing wrong. Kang advised them to not cover up for the “sins of their dubious leaders” just for the sake of politics and to allow the truth to prevail.
Referring to a CBI letter dated July 9, 2021, Kang said that the CBI had written to the state chief secretary of Punjab to investigate Rana KP for allegedly misusing his position. “The matter was hushed up by the then Congress government,” he said, adding, “It is unfortunate that instead of cooperating with Punjab government and investigating agencies, the Congress leadership is still covering up for its leaders”. The AAP spokesperson also termed the former speaker’s allegations against Bains “baseless”.