CHANDIGARH: The five ministers in the Amarinder Singh Cabinet who were dropped by Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi have been facing allegations of irregularities or non-performance.
In the last couple of days, Channi visited Delhi twice to meet the Congress high command for finalising the names of his ministers. Subsequently, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Sunder Shyam Arora, Rana Gurmeet Sodhi, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Gurpreet Kangar were not given another chance to continue as ministers.
Sodhi had organised a dinner, which 58 MLAs attended, at his official residence in show of strength of the Amarinder camp. Former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar was instrumental in getting Sodhi dropped from the Cabinet. In a land acquisition case, the PWD department has filed a recovery suit against Sodhi and his family.
Dharamsot faced allegations of irregularities in the post matric SC scholarship. All opposition parties had demanded action against him. Sidhu, the then health minister was under scanner after the Covid pandemic broke out. Meanwhile, Arora, who was the industries minister, faced allegation of irregularities in the sale of 30 acre of industrial plot in Mohali.
Hours before the swearing-in ceremony, Sidhu and Kangar held a joint news conference where they questioned the decision to drop them. “I want to ask the party high command what is my fault and why I was excluded. They should have asked for my resignation and I would have given it happily. People of my area are disappointed. I am not upset with losing my ministry. I have no greed for power. But I want ask what was the need to humiliate us?’’ Sidhu asked before he broke down. He said that he was punished despite performing in the pandemic.
Kangar, who was the revenue minister, said he digitised entire record in the department and added that earlier when he was the power minister, he was always available to the people.