#MeToo: Channi blames Akalis for stoking up row
Punjab technical education minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who is in the crosshairs of a controversy after a woman IAS officer accused him of sending “inappropriate” text messages to her, has blamed Akali leaders for raking up the issue.
“Akalis targeted me as I raised the Bargari sacrilege and Dalit issues. They wanted me to stop raising these issues. They will, however, not succeed in their designs,” Channi said on Monday here after he returned from his trip to the UK.
Channi claimed that he inadvertently forwarded the text to the IAS officer and some other persons. “No vulgar message was sent. It was just some quote. I have already apologised to the officer and she accepted his apology.
He said chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also issued clarification over the issue. He said he will resign if the CM asks him to do so. He also denied role of people from his party behind the controversy.
“I respect women and always call female staff members of my department and women party workers as sister,” he added.
‘SIGNED MOU WITH BELARUS FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT’
Channi said a delegation led by him signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for skill development and vocational education with the ministry of education of Belarus.
Channi said both sides agreed to work together on conducting joint research and training of staff for establishing a skill university in Punjab among other things.