Grilled by Punjab Vigilance Bureau for nearly seven hours in connection with a disproportionate assets case, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday dubbed the probe as “totally political”.
 
Accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Punjab Government of “using every way to humiliate and defame”, Channi dared the ruling party to do “whatever they have to”, while asserting that he has “always worked with honesty and will continue to do so”.
 
Channi, who reached the Vigilance’s Mohali office at around 11 am, was questioned by the officials for about seven hours on several issues, including Rs 10 crore recovered from his “nephew” Bhupinder Singh Honey in a mining case, his foreign visits, and any investment abroad.
 
Visibly angered after coming out of the Vigilance office, Channi alleged that he was being “politically victimized”. Slamming the AAP Government, Channi said: “This government is treating worse than even the Mughals. They want to use every way to humiliate and defame, and, in fact, they are doing it”.
 
“In a democracy, this is not the way that without any basis they try to build up a case. I stand by what I said earlier in the morning at my press conference and they may do whatever they have to,” said Channi, adding that during elections, he was accused of hundreds of acres of land and expensive vehicles, now the Government should make me stand on that same land and show that it’s mine.
 
“All this conspired to tarnish my image. But I am not one who will get scared or run away. Rather, I will fight these lies firmly,” said Channi.
 
Channi, who joined the Congress party’s campaign for Jalandhar parliamentary byelections a day before, lashed out at the AAP Government for indulging in political vendetta against him.
 
Ahead of joining investigations at the Vigilance office on Friday, the Congress leader lashed out at the AAP Government over advancing his date of appearance by issuing summons a day before.
 
Initially, the VB had asked Channi to appear for questioning in a disproportionate assets case on April 12. However, Channi, citing unavailability, requested for another date to join the investigation, which the Bureau allowed while asking him to appear on April 20 instead. But on Thursday, the Bureau advanced the date to Friday, asking Channi to appear before him immediately.
 
Channi alleged that Friday’s summons were issued hours after he lashed out at the AAP Government in Jalandhar. “The questions raised by me regarding justice in sacrilege cases, insult of the jathedar, anti-Dalit actions and compensation to farmers for crop loss on Thursday had rattled the state government…The Government offices are shut today due to a holiday on account of Baisakhi and Ambedkar Jayanti, but they have opened them only for Channi…to torture me,” he said.
 
Vigilance has been inquiring into the allegations of Channi amassing assets disproportionate to his known source of income. In fact, the VB, the previous month, had also issued a lookout circular against the former Chief Minister.
 
Asked about being questioned in the matter before he entered the Bureau's office, Channi rubbished that he had accumulated any disproportionate assets. “The probe is totally political. Let them do what they want,” he said.
 
Earlier addressing a press conference at Punjab Congress Bhawan, Channi launched a scathing attack on the state's AAP government saying that he “may be tortured, arrested or even killed”, but he is prepared to face it.
 
“Hang me if even one person says Channi was indulging in any corrupt practice,” the former CM said breaking down in tears.
 
Channi said ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, he has raised some issues. He alleged that the AAP government has been rattled by the questions he raised including those relating to Dalits, “on what the Chief Minister said about Akal Takht Jathedar”, about justice in sacrilege cases and farmers' issues.
 
“And when someone speaks the truth, the one who is a liar feels the pinch — that is what has happened with the AAP government," he alleged. 
 
Getting emotional during a press conference, Channi said: “I want to tell you what my condition is. I have not had any money from anyone. If someone says that I have taken a bribe for the transfer of anyone, you can hang me. I have sold my property to fight elections.”
 
Channi, accompanied by senior leaders — state affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Partap Singh Bajwa, among others, also challenged the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to prove that he owned property worth Rs 170 crore and had 250 acres of land.
 
Alleging anti-Daljit stance of the AAP Government, Channi said that he was summoned on the pious day of Baisakhi and on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar. “I suspect that I could even be arrested during my visit to the vigilance office as the AAP government wanted to stop me from campaigning in Jalandhar…AAP Government may even eliminate me, but I won't be cowed down. I will continue to speak the truth.”
 
“AAP falsely painted me corrupt to win the 2022 Assembly election. I dare the CM to hold a press conference to give details of my property. Am I being harassed by the Centre through income tax and ED and by the state through vigilance only because I remained the Chief Minister for three months?” asked Channi, with watery eyes and choked throat.
 
He claimed that the fact was that his financial condition was not good and his ancestral house had been attached by Court. “I had to get stay from court,” he said. Channi even maintained that he had to sell his land to contest elections.
 
Other than Channi, Congress’ 10 former ministers, including Brahm Mohindra, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Sham Sunder Arora, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Vijay Inder Singla, OP Soni, and Sangat Singh Gilzian, besides sevral other MLAs or party leaders, are also facing VB probes for corruption.