CHANDIGARH: With 19 months left till the 2027 assembly elections, the Punjab Congress leadership is apprehensive that the current AAP-led Punjab government might target party leaders who are facing vigilance inquiries.
Such concerns have been raised following the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia in a drugs and disproportionate assets case, while former Health Minister and AAP MLA Vijay Singla and his OSD Pradeep Kumar were given a clean chit in a corruption case registered against them in 2022.
Sources said that a charge sheet has been filed in cases registered against former Congress MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and former cabinet minister OP Soni.
Other Congress leaders who are facing vigilance inquiries include: Punjab Congress President and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana Amarinder Raja Warring, former Chief Minister and Member of Parliament from Jalandhar Charanjit Singh Channi, former cabinet ministers Sunder Shyam Arora and Vijay Inder Singla, and MLAs Barindemeet Singh Pahra and Pargat Singh.
Channi, who himself is under the scrutiny of the vigilance, claimed that those politicians who are vocal against the government are being targeted by the AAP government.
"They have already been after me for a long time, several party leaders, including Jalandhar (Cantonment) MLA Pargat Singh, were under the lens of the vigilance bureau. After Bikram Majithia, Pargat Singh might be next target of the government," he said.
Ludhiana MP Warring said, "It would be premature to comment at this moment."
On the other hand, Punjab Police has given a clean chit to former Health Minister and AAP MLA Vijay Singla and his OSD Pradeep Kumar in corruption case registered against them in 2022 at Phase 8 Police Station in Mohali.
The state police have filed a closure report in a court in Mohali recently, citing that no conclusive evidence was found to proceed against the accused. The court will take up the matter on July 14.
While thhe complainant in the case, Rajinder Singh, a government engineer on deputation with Punjab Health System Corporation, has agreed with the closure report.
It is worth mentioning here that the complainant had submitted that he was summoned to Punjab Bhawan, and a commission of one per cent was demanded from him. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had dismissed Singla from his cabinet.