Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday rushed to the national capital after the news of his blue-eyed Minister, Rana Gurjeet Singh, resigning from the State Cabinet broke out on Tuesday.
Capt Amarinder is scheduled to meet the Congress president Rahul Gandhi, reportedly on whose instance the resignation was sought from Rana Gurjeet considering the allegations he was facing related to sand mining auction.
Before that, Capt Amarinder would also be meeting the State party affairs secretary in-charges Asha Kumari and Harish Chaudhary, among other senior leaders.
Rana Gurjeet was reportedly made to resign from the State Cabinet on January 4 after the Enforcement Directorate issued summons to his son Rana Inder Partap Singh on the same day to present himself on January 17 in a case relating to his company, Rana Sugars limited.
He was accused of raising funds amounting to 18 million dollars (over Rs 100 crore) abroad by floating global depository receipts for a family-owned company allegedly without the mandatory approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
It was then that Rahul Gandhi asserted himself on Capt Amarinder who has been defending his Cabinet colleague from the very day his name surfaced in the sand mining auction scam.
Sources have informed The Pioneer that other than Rana Gurjeet’s resignation, Capt Amarinder would also be discussing the Cabinet expansion with the Gandhi scion.
On the other hand, Rana Gurjeet has claimed that he has himself offered to resign, and sent a written resignation to the Chief Minister over a week back.
Confirming that his Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjeet has submitted his resignation to him on January 4, Capt Amarinder said that the final decision would be taken after discussing it with the party high command.
The Chief Minister made it clear that Rana Gurjeet is still the Minister as he was yet to accept his resignation. “Chief Minister would soon take up the issue of Rana Gurjeet’s resignation with party high command shortly,” said the Chief Minter’s close aide.
Chief Minister’s aide neither confirmed nor rejected that the process of Cabinet expansion was put in process by asking Rana Gurjeet to step down. However, the aide confirmed that the Chief Minister has shortlisted several names to discuss with the party top brass.
Hectic lobbying has already started with many senior leaders and aspirants making rounds of the Delhi Durbar. A senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, shared that with Rahul Gandhi taking over the party reigns, Capt Amarinder would have to choose his ministers who have clean image and free of any controversy.
“By asking for Rana Gurjeet’s resignation, Rahul Gandhi has signalled his no-nonsense and blunt attitude,” said the leader.
Rana Gurjeet had been in the eye of a storm for using “frontmen” to bid for sand mines in the state. The state government set up a one-member inquiry commission under Justice (retired) JS Narang which has absolved the Minister on all counts despite pointing out irregularities in the auction process in its report submitted to the Chief Minister in August.
Acting sternly against the sand mafia was one of the major poll promises of the Congress party ahead the 2017 polls, but the mafia still continues to function in the state. The only change is in the political patronage that has changed hands from the SAD-BJP leaders to the Congress.
Aam Aadmi Party, led by its senior leader and Rana Gurjeet’s arch rival Sukhpal Khaira, has prominently raised the sand issue naming one exposé after another against the Minister — eventually resulting in his resignation.
“Our stand has been vindicated. But this is not all! Capt Amarinder should accept his resignation at the earliest and should not deceive the Punjabis by supporting his corrupt and tainted minister,” Khaira told The Pioneer.
“The resignation has not been given but asked by the Congress high command...From here, our fight has just begun and we will continue to pursue it. I will move the Punjab and Haryana High Court to seek CBI inquiry in the sand mining auction in the state,” he added.
He added that he would also meet the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to seek an inquiry into all the other cases against Rana Gurjeet.