Khaira to gherao minister Ashu’s house
JALANDHAR : Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) president Sukhpal Singh Khaira threatened to gherao the house of Punjab food and supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Thursday, if he was not ousted from the cabinet for his alleged involvement in change of land use (CLU) scam.
Khaira said either Ashu should hand in his resignation or the chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh should chuck him out of the cabinet.
Ashu found himself in the eye of a controversy, after audio clips of a conversation between Ashu, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Balwinder Singh Sekhon and Ludhiana municipal corporation superintending engineer (SE) RK Garg were played in the Vidhan Sabha. Ashu could be heard intimidating the officials in the clips. “A person (Ashu), who is supposed to be custodian of the law and safeguard the constitution, was openly heard directing an MC official to ‘make the high court orders disappear’ and the DSP to go on leave and tell the high court that a minister was not allowing him to work,” Khaira said.
He said the CLU scam was just the tip of the iceberg, there were many other skeletons in Ashu’s cupboard.
“The CM should have ousted Ashu immediately on moral grounds after his involvement in the scam came to light during a Vidhan Sabha session. I will not be surprised if the Captain’s government tries shelter the tainted minister and starts proceedings against the DSP or SE instead,” he said.