Punjab polls: Channi among ‘crorepati’ MLAs since debut in 2007

Channi, who was handpicked to succeed Capt Amarinder Singh in September last year and keeps invoking his “humble background”, has been among the crorepati MLAs from time of his debut in the state assembly in 2007

Chandigarh : Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, whom Rahul Gandhi presented as the Congress’ chief ministerial face from “gareeb ghar” (a poor household) four days ago, is not in the line of fire from the opposition and within the party for nothing.

Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, whom Rahul Gandhi presented as the Congress’ chief ministerial face from “gareeb ghar” (a poor household) four days ago, is not in the line of fire from the opposition and within the party for nothing.

Channi, who was handpicked to succeed Capt Amarinder Singh in September last year and keeps invoking his “humble background”, has been among the crorepati MLAs from time of his debut in the state assembly in 2007. Contesting as an Independent from the Chamkaur Sahib reserved constituency, he declared assets worth ₹2.19 crore, including movable assets of ₹22.03 lakh and immovable worth ₹1.97 crore, in his first electoral outing. The liabilities stood at ₹4.38 lakh.

On getting elected, he was ranked number 49 in assets among the 78 crorepati MLAs in the 117-strong state assembly, according to a joint analysis of financial details of the 2007 election winners done by the Punjab Election Watch and Association for Democratic Right (ADR).

Channi won two more elections from the same seat in 2012 and 2017, declaring assets of ₹10.46 crore and ₹14.51 crore, respectively, and his ranking among the legislators improved a few notches due to growing affluence. He was at number 27 in the list of 101 crorepati MLAs in 2012 and number 25 among the 92 legislators who have assets totalling more than ₹1 crore in the present assembly. In his latest election affidavit, Channi has, along with wife Dr Kamaljit Kaur, declared assets worth ₹9.45 crore, showing “business” as his profession.

Rahul, while naming Channi as the party’s chief ministerial face at a rally in Ludhiana on Sunday, said: “People of Punjab said that we want a CM who is from a poor ghar (poor household), who understands poverty and hunger. I agree with this”.

Channi’s detractors, both in the Congress and the opposition, have been questioning the claim. Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was also in the race to be declared the CM candidate, tore into Channi’s humble background claim two days ago, stating that Rahul was misled to consider him as poor. “From which angle is he poor,” she asked.

The opposition AAP and SAD have been more scathing, citing the ED raids on Channi’s nephew that yielded crores in cash to attack him. AAP state chief and CM candidate Bhagwant Mann claimed that Channi had assets worth ₹170 crore and is a billionaire, not poor. Channi hit back, saying Mann was illiterate and should read the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission to find out about his assets. “I cannot teach him at this age. He has passed 12th class after three attempts,” he told reporters in Bhadaur on Wednesday.

2nd among MLAs in poll spend

In the previous assembly elections (2017), Channi declared the second highest poll expenses among the successful contestants. Against a limit of ₹28 lakh, the three-time Chamkaur Sahib MLA spent ₹26.83 lakh, according to the political reform advocacy group’s report on poll expenses.

Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana Gurpreet Singh GP was the only one to spend more than him. GP declared poll expenses of ₹26.89 lakh in 2017. The CM’s poll spend has, however, been fluctuating as he was among the MLAs who declared the lowest expenses – ₹3.33 lakh against ₹16-lakh expenditure limit – in the 2012 assembly polls.