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Bansal's resignation sought for fund `misuse'

Special Correspondent

He allegedly placed MPLAD fund at the disposal of the Chandigarh Golf Club for construction of squash court, says Dhawan

CHANDIGARH: Activists of Chandigarh Vikas Manch (CVM) led by its president and former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan on Tuesday burnt an effigy of the local Congress MP, Pawan Kumar Bansal, here and demanded his resignation on moral grounds for alleged "misuse'' of MP Local Area Development Fund.

While referring to media reports, Mr. Dhawan said it was shocking that the Congress MP had allegedly misused the MPLAD funds by placing them at the disposal of the elitist Chandigarh Golf Club for "construction of a squash court''. Mr. Dhawan, who had been expelled from the Congress a few years ago, appreciated the Congress president Sonia Gandhi's statement exhorting the party leaders to shun ostentatious lifestyle and vulgar display of wealth which was an insult to the poor.

"But it was shocking," he added, "that Mr.Bansal, who headed the ethics committee that recently recommended the expulsion of 10 fellow MPs for corruption, was himself using the MPLAD funds at his disposal for the elitist club whose membership was beyond the reach of the common man. It was even more sad that the MP had secured an honorary membership of the Golf Club."

He further charged that the Golf Club had sufficient resources at its disposal to generate funds for any purpose and did not require any sort of funds/aid like the MPLAD funds. "This blatant misuse of Government funds for personal gains has exposed the hypocrisy of Congress leaders. Mr. Bansal should accept moral responsibility and resign his Lok Sabha seat for having given funds to the Chandigarh Golf Club in total violation of the MPLADS Fund guidelines".

Mr.Dhawan said the guidelines issued by Lok Sabha were specific that any permanent or disposable asset to be formed by the utilisation of these funds should be owned by the Central Government or the State Government only.

"Action should also be taken against those officers of the Chandigarh Administration who had issued a compliance certificate to utilize the funds to the tune of Rs. 2.53 lakhs on some other activities by the Club even though the squash court could not come up after the Chandigarh Administration raised objections as it could pose security risk to the adjacent Punjab Raj Bhavan."

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Bansal's resignation sought for fund `misuse'

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