Majithia seeks sacking of Ashu for allowing wheat from outside state

The Akali leader also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the functioning of department officials, including its chief vigilance commissioner

Chandigarh

Majithia seeks sacking of Ashu for allowing wheat from outside state

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday demanded immediate sacking of Punjab food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu for allegedly allowing wheat from outside the state to be procured on MSP in Punjab.

The Akali leader also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the functioning of department officials, including its chief vigilance commissioner.

Addressing a press conference here, the former minister alleged that wheat was brought from outside the state at ₹1,000 per quintal and sold at ₹1,883.

Majithia said the minister was responsible for appointing a tainted officer as the chief vigilance commissioner. He said the officer, Rakesh Singla, was indicted in October 2017 by the principal secretary of the department, who held him responsible for a corruption of ₹85 crore.

He said the principal secretary had ordered that Singla be demoted and also accused him of diverting stock received from the Centre under various schemes.

He said Ashu did not only appoint Singla as the CVC but also gave him charge of transportation and labour involving an annual budget of ₹600 crore.

He also held Ashu responsible for alleged corruption by a department inspector, Jasdev Singh, nephew of Ghanaur MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur. The Akali leader alleged that Jasdev had been given the charge of eight godowns instead of two, which was the norm, and he allegedly misappropriated 87,000 quintals of wheat worth ₹20 crore.

“Jalalpur was now claiming that his nephew was mentally upset, but it is a mystery as to how a mentally unsound person sold off his properties and disappeared with his family. It is clear that Jalalpur is involved in the scandal. No action is being taken in the case as he now has the patronage of the new state Congress chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu,” Majithia alleged.