Against norms, SAD leader, kin distribute sports kits

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 13

Sunny Dhillon, brother of SAD Gidderbaha constituency incharge Hardeep Singh ‘Dimpy Dhillon’, distributed sports kits and gym machines to sports clubs at a function in Gidderbaha on Sunday. Some local SAD leaders were present at the function, but there was no officer.

Sunny does not hold any post in the state government. Dimpy, too, distributed the equipment issued by the state government the same day in Gidderbaha; a coach of the Sports Department was present.

As per rules, an elected representative or an officer must be present in any function of the state government.

“When I distributed sports kits and gym machines, a coach was present,” said Dimpy, a former chairman of the District Planning Committee, Muktsar.

When he was shown pictures of his brother distributing sports kits and gym machines, he said, “The Akali government has issued the sports kits and gym machines. So, Akalis can distribute these. There’s nothing wrong in it.”

This is not the first instance of Akalis not following the rules. On September 11, SAD Muktsar constituency incharge Kanwarjit Singh ‘Rozy Barkandi’ had inaugurated a sewa kendra in Muktsar, while Muktsar SAD coordinator Avtar Singh Vanwala did so in Lambi. Officers were present at the inauguration functions, but the two leaders performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

A constituency incharge is not a constitutional post. The SAD has appointed those leaders on this post who had lost the previous elections.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said in the Vidhan Sabha that there is no post of halqa incharge in the party’s constitution.