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Vax row: Akalis protest near Punjab health minister’s house
Opposition party warns to lay siege to chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s residence if health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu is not dismissed by June 15
The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday warned to lay siege to Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s residence if health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu is not dismissed by June 15.
Led by president Sukhbir Singh Badal, the opposition party on Monday staged a two-hour dharna near the health minister’s house in Mohali, demanding his immediate removal for alleged irregularities in the sale of Covid-19 vaccines and purchase of medical kits.
“Instead of giving free vaccines to the people, the Congress government sold vaccines at a hefty profit to private institutions and also allowed the latter to fleece the people further. This amounts to playing with lives and is reprehensible,” said Sukhbir while addressing the protesters.
The SAD chief said that Balbir Singh Sidhu was directly responsible for this “corrupt act” and in case he is not dismissed from the government, “we will approach the governor as well as the courts for justice”.
“It is also shocking that the chief minister refused to listen to our requests to open Covid care centres in all blocks and purchase vaccines worth ₹1,000 crore directly from the manufacturers to vaccinate the entire population within a period of six months,” he said.
Claiming that the health minister was indulging in one scam after another, Sukhbir also alleged irregularities in the purchase of Fateh kits for Covid-19 patients. He said the price of medical kits was jacked up repeatedly by inviting one tender after the other despite the first tender being valid for six months.
The SAD chief alleged the firm that was allotted the third tender didn’t even fulfil the criterion of having a medical licence. “We demand an impartial inquiry into this scam and exemplary punishment to the guilty,” he said.
