Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana Kanwar Pal Singh on Tuesday set up a House Committee to probe SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s allegations of a meeting between Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal at the former’s residence on Sunday night.
The Committee was formed under the chairmanship of Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa after Capt Amarinder dubbed Sukhbir as “master of disinformation” and insisted upon the Speaker to set up a panel to probe SAD leader’s allegations for “misleading” the House. The constitution of the committee was also supported by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), even as Sukhbir insisted on including the probe into who all have come to the CM residence to meet whom, where such meetings were held and which ministers were involved in this,
During the zero hour, Sukhbir reiterated that Daduwal had met Chief Minister at his residence on Sunday night, to which Capt Amarinder maintained that he did not recognise Daduwal.
Capt Amarinder take on Sukhbir for coming up with another “disinformation”, that a meeting was held at Capt Charan Singh’s residence between Justice Ranjit Singh, AAP MlA Sukhpal Khaira, and others, but the numbers and tower locations given by Sukhbir did not exist. He went on to accuse Sukhbir for raising the issue just to misled the House, and a House panel be set up to look into the same.
On his photograph with Daduwal, which Sukhbir had flaunted, the Chief Minister said that it was clicked during a meeting with a delegation that came to meet him at Punjab Bhavan which was “not a secret meeting” and was widely covered by the media.
“The delegation was consisted of political leaders from different political parties, such as UAD, SAD (Mann), SAD (1920), who had come with a charter of demands, including resolving of Bargari and other sacrilege cases, arrest of those involved in sacrilege, release and transfer of TADA detenus who continue to be in jails both in Punjab jails and outside despite having served their sentences, among other things. Daduwal came along with the delegation of these leaders,” he added.
Pointing out that his official residence was under strict CCTV surveillance, the Chief Minister dared Sukhbir to get the footage checked.
Meanwhile, AAP MlA Harwinder Singh Phoolka lashed out at Sukhbir, saying that there was nothing wrong in the Chief Minister meeting Daduwal in case such a meeting had taken place, since Daduwal was facing threats from Dera Sacha Sauda followers and had every right to approach Capt Amarinder on the issue.
A day before too, Capt Amarinder had lashed out at SAD president for attempting to mislead the House with his “unfounded” charges.
Sukhbir’s allegations came soon after the government tabled in the House the Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh Commission report into the sacrilege cases.
SAD leaders, led by Sukhbir, protested the move even as the Speaker ignored their request to speak on the issue. Meanwhile, AAp MlA Khaira supported the setting up of the panel saying that he would resign as an MlA if Sukhbir;s allegations were found to be true, but at the same time challenging SAD president to resign in case he found guilty.