The revelations made by Punjab’s former Cabinet Minister and Congress leader Amarjit Singh Samra regarding payment of Rs 2 crore to former Congress MlA-turned-rebel Gurbinder Singh Atwal to withdraw his candidature in favour of the party during 2012 Assembly elections has reached the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday has shot off a written communiqué to the Election Commission demanding an independent inquiry and registration of criminal cases against the guilty and arrest of all the culprits without any delay. “Samra’s admission clearly establishes that he as a candidate and Capt Amarinder Singh as president of State unit of Congress committed gross criminal misconduct and grave violation of the model code of conduct. Buying Atwal’s support for Congress with Rs 2 crore is clearly a case of horse-trading and serious financial impropriety and a grave electoral malpractice,” said SAD secretary and spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema in the complaint to the ECI.
It reads, “In the light of revelations made by Samra, the Election Commission should verify as to what was the source of funding for the payment of this unprecedented bribery and whether this amount was reflected in the expenditure register maintained by Samra as an assembly candidate.” The party also demanded that the ECI should also de-recognize the Indian National Congress and debar it from contesting any election in future in view of these serious disclosures about election malpractices.
Samra had made these candid disclosures in the presence of PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa and other senior Congress leaders in a rally of Congress at Nakodar from where he had become MlA thrice but lost the last election to Gurpartap Singh Wadala of SAD. Atwal had initially rebelled against Samra but then withdrew his nomination papers. He was appointed general secretary of the PPCC.
Cheema pointed out that as Samra had claimed that Rs one crore were given by PPCC, the Commission should also verify that whether the party had also shown the amount in its return filed with the ECI. Samra had also claimed that Atwal also got Rs two crores from SAD President Sukhbir Badal and worked to defeat him (Samra).