Patiala, May 28
Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was today grilled for about eight hours in the Ludhiana City Centre scam. He formally joined investigation in the case this morning at the Patiala Circuit House. A team of vigilance officials from Ludhiana quizzed him.
However, investigating officer Kanwarjit Sandhu said they were not satisfied with the answers given by Amarinder Singh. His response to most of the questions was evasive. We asked him to produce certain documents regarding property and income tax returns. He asked for 10 days time for submitting the same. He would again be called after 10 days, the investigating officer said.
Amarinder Singh, along with his wife Preneet Kaur and brother Malwinder Singh, entered the Circuit House at about 10 am. According to sources, his questioning started at about 11 am. At about 1.30 pm he was allowed to go to Moti Bagh for lunch. He once again joined the investigation at about 2.30 pm and left at 7 pm.
Visibly tired, Amarinder Singh, while talking to newsmen before leaving the venue said he was ready for any inquiry from the Central agencies, including CBI and enforcement directorate, in the alleged hawala transactions allegations levelled against him.
He said the vigilance official kept asking him if he had knowledge about the scam and why no action was taken on the vigilance
report. He said he told them that the matter was referred to him by the minister and officials concerned. Besides, the vigilance report had to cross many channels, including the local Self-Government Department and chief secretary, before reaching the Chief Minister for final approval. The file never came to me for approval, he added.
He also alleged that the said pen drive, the findings of which had been widely publicised in media, was doctored.
About Chetan Gupta, the former Chief Minister said, “He is a family member. His family had roots in Patiala and he has nothing more to do with the scam. He is being subjected to third degree to give statements against me, my family and other Congress men. All other Congressmen, including former finance minister Surinder Singla and media adviser Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, have nothing to do with the case.”
He threatened the officers handling the case and added he would remember their acts after assuming power.
The team of advocates accompanying the Chief Minister was not allowed to enter the room in which he was being questioned. A team of five advocates, including two from the Punjab and Haryana High Court and three from Ludhiana, was accompanying him. They allowed just one counsel to accompany him. The advocates alleged that vigilance officials present at the sight were taking instructions from their higher authorities on phone.
Meanwhile, more than 30 MLAs gathered at Moti Bagh to express solidarity with him. Former minister Pratap Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi were among those who came out in support of Amarinder.
Ajay Banerjee adds: The Punjab vigilance bureau team asked Amarinder Singh “what was the interest of Sonia Gandhi and the Congress’ Punjab in charge Janardhan Dwivedi in the City Centre,” well placed sources in the VB said.
Amarinder was also asked why he wrote a letter to Sonia, informing her on the dissolution of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust. According to sources Amarinder explained the reasons for it.
Amarinder when asked about the clearance to the City Centre project, said, “He had only seen the noting on the file and not the entire file.” The VB team showed Amarinder a list of the transactions he allegedly had with Chetan Gupta, which he denied.
Senior functionaries of the VB stated that none of the women in Amarinder’s family had been named in the case. The names of the Rajmata and Jayainder Kaur were among the 150-odd persons who had financial transactions with Chetan. The name of Malvinder Singh, a brother of Amarinder Singh, figures in the list but no link has been established in his dealings with Chetan and the Ludhiana case, official sources said.
