Chandigarh, April 29, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today again submitted evidence against Bathinda Congress candidate Amarinder Singh Raja Warring to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and urged that bribery charges against Warring be probed by a high level team as the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) had been pressurized into giving a clean chit to him under political pressure of the ruling Congress dispensation.
A SAD delegation led by former ministers Jathedar Tota Singh and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema today met Punjab chief electoral officer Dr S Karuna Raju and said it was unfortunate that officers were being brow beaten to give a clean chit to Warring despite the fact that videographic evidence of the entire incident was in public domain.
Dr Daljit Cheema while handing over a pen-drive of the videos connected with the incident said Warring had indulged in corrupt practices by trying to bribe Budhala social worker Tinku Punjab. He said instead of acting on evidence the Budhladha ARO had given a statement that the charge against Warring was false. “The alacrity shown by the ARO to state that Warring has not indulged in any corrupt practice is disturbing. Such acts will erode people’s faith in government. An immediate high level inquiry should be ordered to ensure justice in the matter”, he added.
Meanwhile senior leader Jathedar Tota Singh called for action against officials of Dharamkot who were issuing summons to Akali workers and also threatening action against various social welfare clubs to force them to support the Congress party’s Faridkot candidate Mohammad Sadiq. The Akali leader urged the CEO to take action against the Dharmkot sub divisional magistrate cum returning officer Narinder Singh for issuing summons under Sections 107/150 CrPC to Akali workers in order to pressurize them to support the Congress party.
Giving details of the case, Jathedar Tota Singh said earlier during Block Samiti elections a case was registered against 150 to 200 unidentified Congressmen for preventing Akali workers from entering the office of the SDM, Dharamkot. He said the case was registered after the SAD complained to the State Election Commission. Jathedar Tota Singh said instead of taking action against the Congress workers after identifying them, the Dharamkot SDM had started issuing summons to Akali workers to entangle them in the case and force them to support the Congress candidate. He submitted the summons sent to Gurmit Singh of Gagra village and also submitted a formal complaint on his behalf to the CEC.
The SAD leader also submitted a list of 75 Congress workers led by Dharamkot Municipal Council President Indperpreet Singh alias Bunty who had used force to restrain Akali workers from entering the office of the SDM, Dharamkot during the Block Samiti elections. He said these Congressmen were threatening Akali workers even now. Jathedar Tota Singh appealed to the CEC to direct the SSP, Moga to arrest all the 75 Congress workers. He simultaneously requested that the summons issues to Akali workers in this case be cancelled and that SDM, Dharamkot Narinder Singh be transferred for acting in a partisan manner.
In another complaint forwarded to the CEC, Jathedar Tota Singh said various social clubs of Moga were being threatened with derecognition and implication of their office bearers in false cases if they did not support Congress candidate Mohammad Sadiq. He forwarded the complaint of Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Club, Kadarwala in this regard. As per the complaint of the Club President Amritpal Singh the BDPO, Dharamkot Sukhwinder Singh had issued a notice to him and had informally told him that a false case of misutilisation of grant would be registered against him if he did not support the Congress party. The complainant said similar notices and threats had been issued to other social clubs including Baba Moti Ram ji Club Bhagpur Gagra, Baba Jiwan Singh Club Dattewal, Baba Jiwan Singh Club Cheema and Baba Ajit Singh Club Lohara.
The SAD delegation while urging that the notices issued to the social welfare clubs be cancelled, also requested that the BDPO, Dharamkot Sukhwinder Singh be transferred immediately. The delegation included Advocate Arshdeep Singh Kler from the SAD Legal Cell.
