#MeToo and illegal mining allegations cast a shadow
During the #Metoo movement In November 2018, the IAS officer accused Channi of sending inappropriate texts to her though no formal complaint was lodged in this regard
Controversies have followed the Congress’s chief minister-designate for Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi, on a few occasions, including being accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a woman IAS officer.
During the #Metoo movement in November 2018, the IAS officer accused Channi of sending inappropriate texts to her though no formal complaint was lodged in this regard. The matter was resolved with the intervention of then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
However, in June this year, the issue was highlighted by State Women Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati, who while taking suo motu notice reopened the case and sought a reply from the Punjab government.
Gulati threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike if the state government failed to act on a clarification sought by her. When the controversy had erupted, she had written a letter to then chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh but did not get a reply.
Gulati’s move was questioned in Congress circles as the issue was resurrected at a time when Channi was seen as part of a group of ministers leading the charge against Singh. Ministers close to Channi termed it a “witch hunt” by the Amarinder camp.
They alleged that Gulati had earlier worked closely with Singh’s family, and had dug up the issue to embarrass Channi.
In another incident, a few days after he was inducted into the state cabinet, Channi, on the advice of an astrologer to have an east-facing entry to his house for political gains, illegally constructed a road from a park outside his official residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh. Within hours, the road was razed by the Chandigarh administration.
Again on his astrologer’s advice, Channi rode an elephant in the lawns of his house in Kharar. Pictures of the elephant ride went viral and left many amused.
In March 2018, when Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira was the leader of the opposition, he accused Channi of being involved in illegal mining, a charge that was vehemently denied by the minister.
