Chandigarh: Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu enjoyed hobnobbing with anti-nationals elements including his close friends in the Pakistan leadership which had even lobbied for his induction to the state cabinet, had exposed Sidhu’s self-interest and his completely apathy to Punjab’s interests, said the PLC chief.
He ridiculed Sidhu’s tall claims of fighting the sand mafia when he had himself led the September rebellion of the MLAs who were involved in illegal mining, thus clearly exposing his own interest in sheltering them.
Considering that many of the Congress MLAs whom Sidhu had led in rebellion against him (Captain Amarinder) had direct or indirect interest or share in the state’s sand mafia, the PPCC president’s credentials in the matter were patently dubious, said the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief.
Rejecting Sidhu’s allegation that he (Captain Amarinder) had failed to take action against the sand mafia during his tenure as chief minister, the PLC leader said not only had he taken all possible administrative steps to check the illegal mining, he had specifically asked the Congress president for directives on acting against the Punjab Congress leaders and members involved in the racket.
Why he was not given the necessary direction to take such action, which had political connotation and significance, was something that Sidhu should ask the Congress leadership if he really was serious about the issue, said Captain Amarinder. The PLC chief further said that the Punjab Congress MLAs, about whose ties with the sand mafia he had reported to the Congress president, were in direct touch with the party leadership in the run-up to his removal from chief ministership.