Punjab Congress holds state-wide protest, demands dismissal of minister Sarari

PTI

Chandigarh, October 10

The Congress on Monday protested across Punjab demanding the dismissal of state minister Fauja Singh Sarari over an audio clip in which he was purportedly heard discussing ways to "extort" money from some contractors.

The purported audio clip of the alleged conversation between Sarari and his former close aide had surfaced last month. 

They were allegedly heard discussing ways to trap some contractors involved in foodgrain transportation through some officials to "extort money" from them.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, slammed the AAP government for not dismissing Sarari.

The Congress leader said it was high time that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stop protecting his minister.

Bajwa, along with senior party leaders and former ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Aruna Chaudhari, staged a dharna outside the office of the Gurdaspur deputy commissioner and submitted a memorandum to him.

Bajwa said the Congress party had raised the Sarari issue in the recently held Assembly session but the treasury benches led by CM Mann refused to act against the minister.

"We even tried to persuade Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhawan to allow the opposition to have a thorough debate on the issue but the former denied it," said Bajwa.

The Qadian MLA reminded CM Mann of former health minister Vijay Singla, who was sacked and later arrested on the basis of an audio clip, which was never made public by the AAP government.

"Though it was a different matter that Vijay Singla continued to enjoy full support of AAP and has not yet been sacked from the primary membership of the party," said Bajwa. 

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring led the protest in Patiala and hit out at the government for not acting against the minister.

Warring demanded the arrest of Sarari. 

Sarari, the minister for food processing and defence services welfare, had earlier denied the charge but Opposition parties have sought his dismissal and arrest.

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