Number of Indian Americans in elected offices not reflective of their population: Kamala Harris
CHANDIGARH, October 8: Reacting strongly to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s charges of collusion between the Congress and the Akalis, the Punjab Congress today dismissed as the rant of a man who has exposed himself time and again as a big liar.
In a statement issued here, the Punjab Congress Kejriwal has zero respect for truth and only cares for lies, allegations and sensationalism to snatch headlines. His latest allegation is also nothing but a figment of his imagination.
Rubbishing Kejriwal’s allegation, senior Congress leaders, including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Kewal Dhillon, asked him to first read the history of the case he was referring to, before rushing with his comments. Let him get his facts right, they said it was evident from his statement that Kejriwal was speaking out of ignorance rather than on the basis of facts.
The Punjab Congress leaders were reacting to Kejriwal’s statement over a newspaper report suggesting possible closure of case against Capt Amarinder Singh in a Mohali court.
“We wonder what is the source of information for Kejriwal that the case was being closed”, they said, adding, “or he is being briefed by the Akali-BJP government in advance”.
“Anyone knowing the fact that Capt Amarinder jailed Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal for corruption in 2002, can never say that there can be an understanding between them now,” they observed. Capt Amarinder had thrown Badal into jail earlier and would not hesitate to do it again, they warned.
The Congress leaders said while it was too early to say anything, since the matter was still pending in the court, Kejriwal should know that the case was registered against Capt Amarinder out of sheer political vendetta after having been expelled from the 13th Vidhan Sabha. The expulsion, they pointed out, was unanimously revoked by a five member Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, with severe strictures against the Akali government.
Giving details, they said, the case had been registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on the basis of a report by Vidhan Sabha Committee headed by Harish Rai Dhanda, who was an Akali legislator at that time. They said the recommendations had been rejected by the Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court of India with strong strictures.
They pointed out, when the Supreme Court had rejected the report of the Vidhan Sabha committee, on whose basis the Punjab Vigilance Bureau and filed an FIR, how could it stand further legal scrutiny. They said the Vigilance bureau has been trying hard to concoct evidence on the matter and has been seeking more and more time from the court.
“We wonder what is the source of information for Kejriwal that the case was being closed”, they said, adding, “or he is being briefed by the Akali-BJP government in advance”.
The Congress legislators said, the court had asked the Vigilance Bureau to reinvestigate the matter in the light of the Supreme Court directions that had reinstated Capt Amarinder as member of the thirteenth Vidhan Sabha and passed severe strictures against the state government for using brute majority to expel an elected member.
