Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that he has received complaints that Mr. Singla is demanding 1% commission on tenders for contracts belonging to his department.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that he has received complaints that Mr. Singla is demanding 1% commission on tenders for contracts belonging to his department.
Punjab Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked from the state cabinet on Tuesday on corruption charges, and arrested soon after, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying his government has zero tolerance for corruption.
The chief minister himself announced the removal of Mr Singla from the cabinet, which had been sworn in just two months ago after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power, riding on the agenda of corruption-free governance and other election promises.
CM Mann said the decision was taken after he learned that Mr Singla was allegedly demanding a “1% commission” in his department’s tenders and purchases.
As soon as he announced Mr Sinhala’s sacking, CM Mann also said that he has also directed the police to register a case against the minister.
Soon after, Mr Singla, 52, was arrested by the Punjab Police, sources said.
Mr. Singla, a dentist, Punjabi singer and Congress candidate, was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Mansa seat by defeating Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala.
Official sources said CM Mann came to know about Mr Singla’s alleged wrongdoings 10 days ago through an officer. The CM assured the officer that he is with him and he need not fear from anyone.
With the help of the officer, an operation was carried out after which it was revealed that Mr. Singla and his associates were demanding a “1% commission”.
It is learned that an audio recording was also made in which Mr Singla was allegedly implicated.
“A case was brought to my notice in which a minister in my government was demanding a commission of 1% from each tender or purchase of his department. I took this matter very seriously,” CM Mann said in a video message on Tuesday.
He said, ‘I am taking strict action against that minister and removing him from the cabinet. I am also instructing the police to register a case against him.” “The name of that minister is Vijay Singla. He was the health minister.” CM Mann said Mr Singla has admitted to his alleged wrongdoings.
Stating that the AAP government has zero tolerance for corruption, CM Mann said party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also removed his food and supplies minister in 2015 over corruption and handed over the matter to the CBI. .
Mr Kejriwal lauded CM Mann for his decision and said that corruption is a betrayal of the country. We are proud of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann who immediately removed his minister who was found indulging in corruption. CM Mann said that the decision to oust Singla is historic. “I will not tolerate corruption of Re 1. We want to make Punjab a corruption-free state.” The Punjab Chief Minister said that some rival parties would now try to corner the AAP by stating that one of its ministers was found indulging in corruption within two months of coming to power. But only I knew the matter. Neither the media nor the opposition knew. It is me who is taking action.
CM Mann said that he could have easily suppressed the matter but by doing so he “betrayed” his conscience and broke the trust of lakhs of people.
CM Mann said his government would not allow corrupt practices, and warned that no one involved in such activities would be spared.
He said that people have chosen Aam Aadmi Party for its transparent and corruption free system and it is bound to fulfill the aspirations of every Punjabi.
Reacting to the sacking of Singla from the cabinet, AAP MP Raghav Chadha lauded CM Mann, and said that AAP has zero tolerance towards corruption. “Aam Aadmi Party is the only party which has the integrity to act against itself. , courage and honesty. grounds of corruption. We saw it in Delhi, now we are seeing it in Punjab. Zero tolerance for corruption. Commendable decision of CM @BhagwantMann,” Mr Chadha said in a tweet.
The Aam Aadmi Party had won 92 out of 117 seats in Punjab in the 2022 state assembly elections, beating the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance and the BJP-Punjab Lok Congress-SAD (United) alliance.