E-Paper
Sandeep Singh should quit on moral grounds: Ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Speaking at a press conference, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Sandeep Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman athletics coach, should step down as minister without any further delay.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday demanded that the minister of state in the BJP-JJP government, Sandeep Singh should quit on moral grounds.
Speaking at a press conference, Hooda said that Sandeep Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman athletics coach, should step down as minister without any further delay.
“Without Sandeep Singh stepping down from the Council of Minister, a fair investigation into the matter is not possible. Imagine, a Haryana law officer, additional advocate general, Deepak Sabharwal is his counsel. This itself indicates the influence of the state government. How can one expect a fair investigation when the government is firmly supporting the minister,” Hooda told HT.
The Leader of Opposition said that morality demanded that Singh should quit the Council of Ministers till investigations are going on. “During the Congress rule, a minister, Om Prakash Jain, and a chief parliamentary secretary, Zile Ram, were made to step down following allegations of their involvement in a murder case. Another minister, Gopal Kanda was also made to resign from the Council of Ministers after he was booked by the Delhi Police for allegedly abetting the suicide of a former airhostess,’’ Hooda said in reply to a question.
The chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had on Monday ruled out stripping Sandeep Singh of his ministerial position saying that mere allegation and registration of FIR does not make a person guilty. Only an investigation can prove the guilt, Khattar had said.
Khattar had also said that there was no issue of the minister exercising his influence on the investigation process.
The minister was booked by the Chandigarh Police on January 31 for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman coach. Though he was divested of sports and youth affairs portfolio on January 7, he continues to enjoy the ministerial rank even as the clamour for his ouster refuses to die down.
“The minister himself has said that the allegations against him are incorrect and false,” Khattar said in reply to a question as to whether Singh should step down on moral grounds.
Meanwhile, Hooda criticised the decision to curtail the power of sarpanches. He said the government does not have faith in elected sarpanches.
