CHANDIGARH: After the exit of minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar from the union cabinet after a spate of complaints by women journalists. Now a Punjab cabinet minister is in trouble as a lady IAS officer has complained against him to sending her "inappropriate text messages''.
Sources said that a lady IAS officer had complained to the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh before he went on Israeli tour about his cabinet colleague who is close to Congress President Rahul Gandhi that the minister has been sending her "inappropriate text".
Before bringing the matter to the notice of her seniors and the CM, she had warned the minister concerned but he did not care and kept on sending her messages. The complaint was referred to Amarinder who told the minister to apologise to her. The matter has reached Congress president Rahul Gandhi too and the party is deliberating on whether the minister should continue in the cabinet or not.
This is first such complaint about any minister in the state and that too at a time when a strong movement has been triggered in the country on the issue of women's rights and against harassment at workplaces. This complaint may add to the problems of the minister as earlier, he had become over-ambitious and raised voice against Amarinder and had been bitter critic of the Chief Minister. Amarinder is abroad and some decision is not ruled out after his return.
Meanwhile Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to unmask his cabinet colleague who had outraged the modesty of a lady IAS officer by sending her indecent messages and asked why he as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi were dragging their feet in taking action against the minister. "The chief minister must immediately tell the people why he is trying to cover up this heinous act by first naming and shaming the minister and then taking concrete action against him by sacking him from the State cabinet,'' he said.
Badal said it was shocking that even Rahul Gandhi, who has been apprised about the incident, has kept silent on this issue for more than one month. "Rahul Gandhi should explain whether he is complicit in this cover up exercise along with the Punjab chief minister? There is no way a minister accused of such abhorrent behavior can sit in a cabinet where decisions regarding safety of women have to be taken. If he is not removed immediately it will be perceived the top Congress leadership is not serious about protecting the honour of women.'' Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) woman wing has demanded to sack the cabinet minister.
AAP woman wing President Raj Lali Gill and co-president Jiwanjot Kaur asked Amarinder to take immediate action against the cabinet minister who is continuously harassing the woman officer by sending objectionable messages on her mobile number. While demanding to sack the minister, the AAP women leaders said that an immoral act by a minister cannot be tolerated. They blamed Rahul Gandhi for adopting double standards on the issue of moral values.
On one and the Congress leaders were demanding resignation of M.J.Akbar who was accused of sexual harassment by female journalists, on the other hand the Chief Minister and AICC president were trying to save the cabinet minister of Punjab whose conduct amounts to sexual harassment. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said the matter relating to reported objectionable message of a minister to a woman government officer had been taken very seriously and, to the best of his knowledge, resolved to the officer's satisfaction.
"The matter was brought to my notice some weeks ago and I had asked the minister to apologise and sort it out with the lady officer. I understand he had done so to the satisfaction of the officer and thus the matter was resolved," he said.