Post-matric scholarship scam: Punjab Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa seeks minister Dharamsot’s resignation

Congress Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa has demanded an inquiry by a high court judge into the post-matric scholarship scam and the resignation of social justice and empowerment minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot.

Bajwa said on Friday that the disbursal of funds under the post-matric SC scholarship scheme must be investigated in a time-bound manner by a judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.

“Dharamsot should resign for the duration of the investigation into the functioning of his ministry. Anything less would be a miscarriage of justice,” he said in a statement.

Dharamsot’s role in the disbursal of funds totalling Rs 248 crore has been questioned in a report submitted by additional chief secretary Kirpa Shankar Saroj to the chief secretary.

The Congress MP said he will write to Congress president Sonia Gandhi apprising her of the sensitivity of this matter and requesting her to take suitable action. He said it was worrying that money meant to be spent for ensuring better access to education for Scheduled Caste students was being misused by the department.

The scheme was launched in November 2006 by the UPA-1 government at the Centre as a signature policy of the Congress and seeing it ruined through embezzlement and fraud by the party’s government was unacceptable, he added.