Bir Devinder quits Cong media panel

PATIALA: Senior Congress leader and former deputy speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Bir Devinder Singh on Wednesday resigned as coordinator of the party’s panel for electronic media debates.

He took the decision after a snub from Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh, who had in a counter write-up in Hindustan Times rebutted Bir Devinder’s charges of inaccessibility. He said he had e-mailed his resignation to Amarinder.

It read: “Apropos your writeup that appeared in the ‘Guest Column’ of Hindustan Times today, accusing me that I’m the complainant in the infamous Amritsar Improvement Trust case registered against you at Vigilance Police Station, Mohali, the facts stated by you are factu- ally incorrect.” He added, to “set the record clear” that the case “has been registered against you on the report and recommendation of the Special Committee constituted by 13th Punjab Vidhan Sabha on January 11, 2008 of which I (Bir Devinder) was not even a member.”

Bir Devinder added that he had only raised the issue of exemption of 32 acres of land that belonged to Improvement Trust, Amritsar, through a ‘starred question’ in the 12th Vidhan Sabha. “All the later proceedings pertain to the sittings of the 13th Punjab Vidhan Sabha or the Special Committee of the House. Therefore your diatribe against me in the write-up was absolutely uncalled for.”

“In view of the insalubrious developments, I find it inappropriate to continue on post of media coordinator panel,” he added.