The Hindu : National : Sparks fly in Punjab over report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 09, 2005

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National

Sparks fly in Punjab over report

Staff Correspondent

Amarinder Singh refutes Badal's allegations against his family

CHANDIGARH: Though Delhi is the main scene of action over the fall out of the Volcker Committee report sparks are flying in Punjab's political arena as well. While Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has rubbished the allegations against his family, the Shiromani Akali Dal has sought a "deeper probe" in the light of "fresh evidence."

Capt. Singh has refuted all charges levelled by the president of the Akali Dal, Parkash Singh Badal, who had alleged "a strong Punjab dimension" to the multi-billion dollar oil-for-food imbroglio.

Speaking to reporters at Jalandhar on Monday, Capt. Singh said Mr. Badal had panicked as he could "foresee his own fate once the trial against him, on corruption charges, gets going." The trial is expected to begin after the verdict from the Supreme Court where the case comes up for hearing on January 7. As Mr. Badal found himself "trapped in the legal procedures, he was desperately making attempts to divert attention by defaming others."

`Bid to derail campaign'

Mr. Badal, his son and some associates had made attempts in the past "to derail the present Government's anti-graft campaign and salvage their political image." He claimed that the Badal camp had been unsuccessful in its attempt to malign the image of his family.

Another reason which the Chief Minister quoted for Mr. Badal's "desperation," was the forthcoming debate in the Assembly on development and the law & order situation in the State during the tenure of the present Government in comparison to that of the previous Akali-BJP regime. The Chief Minister denied allegations that he had provided police security to the prime figure in the controversy, Andleep Sehgal. He denied that any security cover had been provided for Jagat Singh, who is his sister's son.

However, due to the Z-plus security cover to himself, the Chief Minister said his immediate relatives were provided guards which explained the State police security for his sister. A Punjab police spokesman also verified this through a written statement here on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former Union Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal asked Capt. Singh to step down from office on moral grounds in the wake of the expose on Punjab Police personnel accompanying Jagat Singh and getting embroiled in a shootout on the New Year eve of 2004.

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