E-Paper
Day after ‘threat’ from Cong MLA, arhtiya body chief removed
TARN TARAN A commission agent of Patti grain market, Laljit Singh Bhullar, was removed from the post of president of the arhtiya association a day after being allegedly threatened by Patti Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill for boycotting his event in the grain market.
TARN TARAN
A commission agent of Patti grain market, Laljit Singh Bhullar, was removed from the post of president of the arhtiya association a day after being allegedly threatened by Patti Congress MLA Harminder Singh Gill for boycotting his event in the grain market.
Gill was inaugurating the construction work to concertize the grain market at the cost of ₹2.35 crore on Thursday when he allegedly threatened the commission agents who were absent from the event. Gill’s threatening speech has also gone viral on social media.
Laljit, 37, who supported Congress during the 2017 assembly polls, had been a staunch supporter of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s Adaish Partap Singh Kairon. He said he had been elected unanimously as president of the arhtiya association for last five years.
“Of the total 90 commission agents, more than 80, including me, didn’t attend Gill’s function on Thursday. We had been unhappy over the MLA’s working. The MLA had promised during the election that after winning, he would help us to release our ₹4.5 crore pending dues related to the transportation of food grains, but nothing was done even after three years.”
He said, “A day after we boycotted the event, some commission agents were pressured politically and they forcibly removed me. However, still majority of the commission agents are with me. I will serve a notice to conduct election.”
MLA DENIES CHARGES
Gill denied the charges of threatening anyone. He said: “I was in the grain market for its development and it was the commission agents’ prerogative to attend the event. Many government officials, including sub-divisional magistrate of Patti, were there. I didn’t threaten anybody, but asked them not to do any wrongdoings in future.”
