Capt hits out at AAP, SAD over political funds charge

CHANDIGARH : Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday hit out at the AAP and SAD for “lying blatantly” on the issue of political funding from private power companies.

He said unlike the illegal donations made to these parties by various shell companies, the funds provided to the Congress have nothing to do with Punjab elections or the controversial power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed by the Akalis.

Amarinder said that political donations by certain power companies were made not to the Punjab Congress but to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) back in 2009 and 2014, with no connection whatsoever to the incumbent government in the state. He slammed the SAD and AAP for spreading carnage of lies in a desperate attempt to mislead the people ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.

The PPAs in question were signed by the erstwhile SADBJP government, and were legally binding so that his (Amarinder’s) government could not rescind the same without heavy penalties on the cash-strapped state, he added in a statement.

On Monday, the AAP and SAD accused the Congress of taking funds from private companies running power plants in the state. While the AAP alleged that the Congress did not cancel the faulty PPAs due to funds received for the party, the SAD demanded a CBI probe.

Dismissing their allegations, Amarinder said his government was exploring legal recourse to neutralise ill-effects of the PPAs without further burdening the state’s exchequer, which the Akalis, along with their BJP allies, had allegedly milked dry to fill their own pockets.