Chandigarh, October 22: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Pargat Singh on Thursday sharply criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for concluding the Punjab Assembly session in just nine minutes, calling it a deliberate attempt to evade accountability on pressing public issues, IANS reported.
Source: IANS via hi INDiA
Singh alleged that instead of answering questions on crucial issues, including the murder of anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota, the state government chose to evade accountability and run away from the Assembly. Holding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann responsible for what he described as the deteriorating administrative situation and the government's failures, he demanded Mann's resignation. These are the Congress leader's allegations, reported as his statement.
"There is no visible governance in the state," Singh said. He pointed to government employees, computer teachers, Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) employees, saying they were struggling for their rights while the government looked for ways to avoid their grievances instead of resolving them.
"Tall promises" and a warning of accountability
Singh alleged that the AAP had made tall promises about governing Punjab, but the state was now witnessing administrative mismanagement and a clear lack of accountability. He alleged that those who had been running Punjab from Delhi had now politically distanced themselves from the situation, but could not escape responsibility for the damage caused to the state — again, his claim, reported as his statement.
The Congress president said that once the Congress formed the government, accountability would be fixed for everyone responsible for harming Punjab's interests and doing injustice to its people. He said the number of people who may have to answer for their actions could be around 125 to 150, adding that no one would be spared, Nation Press reported.
Source: Nation Press
Shah visit and the Jhota case
Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Punjab, Pargat Singh said he welcomed the minister in his official capacity as Home Minister, but stressed that visits and political rhetoric alone would not resolve Punjab's deep-rooted problems. He demanded that the Central government explain what concrete steps it had taken so far to curb the drug trade in Punjab and safeguard the state's interests.
On the Jhota murder case, Singh said that if a demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe had been raised, the Central government should consider it seriously and take appropriate action. Questioning the BJP's policies, he added that the Centre's role and accountability must be clearly established on all matters concerning Punjab's interests.
The criticism came on the opening day of the Assembly's special session, at which the House had earlier paid tribute to Jhota and Congress members had protested on the drugs issue. The Punjab government's response to Pargat Singh's specific Thursday statement was not available in the sources reviewed at the time of publishing; his charges against the government are allegations made by the Congress leader and remain to be established through official findings.