Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was summoned by the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes in response to a complaint regarding his “pious seats” remarks, will appear before the Commission in person on June 21 (Monday), a day before he was asked by the panel.
Notably, the Commission had asked Bittu to appear before it on June 22 “personally” in connection with a complaint against him for using “unparliamentary” language.
“Member Parliament Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was summoned by the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes in a case, will appear before the Commission in person on June 21 at 11:30 am…Bittu had requested the Commission that he has prior scheduled unavoidable engagements on June 22 and requested to grant him permission to be present on June 21 at 11:30 instead of June 22,” said the state SC panel chairperson Tejinder Kaur.
She informed that the Parliamentarian’s request in this regard has been accepted by the Commission and allowed Bittu to appear on June 21.
Notably, the summons were issued to Bittu after a complaint was filed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu with the Commission against a video being circulated widely on the social media and newspaper reports in which Bittu allegedly made the “casteist” remarks.
A delegation of SAD MLAs, including Tinu, Sukhwinder Sukhi, Baldev Khaira, had met the state SC panel chairperson and sought her intervention.
The Ludhiana MP, according to the MLAs, had criticised the SAD for giving away “pious seats” of Sri Anandpur Sahib and Chamkaur Sahib to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after forging a poll alliance with it.