"SAD dubs Amarinder reaction "mumblings of a man facing political oblivion"Chandigarh September 10 – The Shiromani Akali Dal today described the reaction of the former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh as "midsummer mumblings of a man faced with certain political oblivion.
By speaking so arrogantly about the decision of the House and the judgment of the Committee, Captain Amarinder has further compounded his problems and his reactions to the media after the House decision amounts to fresh breach of privilege, "said SAD leader Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia. He further said that the House judgment was also proof of the fact that the former Chief Minister’s so anti-corruption drive was nothing more than an attempt to divert people’s attention from the massive corruption that he had himself been indulging in as Chief Minister.
"The wheel has come full circle for the man who resorted to cheap theatricals as Chief Minister on the issue of corruption. From false bravado and sloganeering as Chief Minister then to petty breast beating as a befallen leader now, it is truly quite a fall for Amarinder," said Mr. Majithia.
It may be recalled that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today expelled Amarinder Singh from the membership of the House and ordered the registration of a case against him and Chaudhary Jagjit Singh for the Trust land scam. The House also directed the Director, Punjab Vigilance Bureau to investigate the case, register an FIR and submit the action taken report within two months to the House through the Speaker.
Mr. Majithia expressed surprise over Captain Singh’s remarks that his expulsion from the House was "unconstitutional and that it smacked of political vendetta’. This, said Mr. Majithia, amounted to questioning the collective wisdom of the elected representatives of the people.
The Akali leader wondered how Captain Singh could question the constitutionality of the Committee when his own party had given its consent in writing for the setting up of the House Committee to inquire into the corrupt deal in Amritsar Improvement Trust scam. "Did the Committee become unconstitutional only after Amarinder was found guilty? As for the dissent by Congress members, Mr. Majithia said that dissent was common even among the judgments of judicial benches but that did not in any way make the judgment less effective and legal.
The setting up of the Committee was a unanimous decision of the House and the Congress party had given its consent in writing. Not only that, the party even nominated its members on it, and these members took part in all the 16 meetings of the Committee. None of these members ever questioned the validity or constitutionality fo the Committee. If the Committee was not constitutionally correct, then why did Amarinder himself appear before it."
Regarding the charge of political vendetta, Mr. Majithia asked "Political vendetta by whom? The principal complainant against Amarinder corruption was none other than the Chief Spokesperson of Amarinder own Congress party, Mr. Bi Devinder Singh. The Chairperson of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, Mrs. Ratna who opposed the Amarinder decision on the 360 crore land scam was also a Congress woman and an Amarinder appointee. She was dismissed when she refused to be a party to the corrupt deal.," said Mr. Majithia.
The Akali leader further said that all the witnesses against Amarinder in this corruption case were also Congressmen. All the six trustees of the Amritsar Improvement Trust who deposed against
Amarinder were not only Congressmen but were in fact Amarinder personal appointees. All the 25 witnesses who appeared against Amarinder in the case were also either from the Congress party or senior member s of the administration headed by him. All officers from the Director Local Bodies up to the Chief Secretary had opposed the deal, describing it as against the interests of the state, but Amarinder and Chaudhary Jagjit Singh were bent upon completing the corrupt deal." said Mr. Majithia.