Chandigarh, Oct 3 (IANS) The Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday questioned the new State Congress President Pargat Singh over his silence on drugs and ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) when he was associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal and was the Education and Sports Minister.
State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema asked Pargat Singh to explain why he did not raise his voice against the drug menace and incidents of ‘beadbi’ during the period when he was associated with the Akali Dal.
“Drugs and ‘beadbi’ were among the biggest political issues in Punjab during the Akali Dal (Badal)-BJP rule, yet Pargat Singh did not publicly raise his voice against either issue while he was part of the Akali Dal. The people of Punjab deserve to know why the new State Congress President remained silent on matters that deeply affected the state,” Cheema asked.
He said that Pargat Singh himself has said that there were two factions within the Congress on the issue of ‘beadbi’: one that wanted action against those responsible and another that, according to him, was protecting the Badals.
“Today, as Congress President Pargat Singh must tell Punjab which faction he is leading; the one that wanted justice in ‘beadbi’ cases or the one that was protecting the Badals,” he added.
Commenting on Pargat Singh’s tenure as the Education Minister, Cheema said, “Pargat Singh, as the Education Minister, had been urged to follow the proper legal procedure and route the recruitment of 1,158 Assistant Professors and Librarians through the Punjab Public Service Commission, but the process went ahead despite objections. The recruitment was subsequently set aside by the Supreme Court.”
He said the incident had caused serious uncertainty for the young people who had gone through the recruitment process.
“Why were established procedures not followed? Pargat Singh must answer for the decisions taken during his tenure in the Education Department.”
Cheema added that there “is no doubt about Pargat Singh’s achievements as a hockey player and his contribution to Indian hockey, but his record as Sports Minister has to be judged separately. Despite his own experience of the requirements of sport and athletes, the sports budget under the previous government remained at around Rs 147 crore”.
In contrast, the Finance Minister said the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has substantially increased the allocation for sports, with Rs 1,746 crore provided in the current budget.
–IANS
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