Credit war ensues between Pargat Singh & AAP rival Surinder Sodhi

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 21
Taking on against his Aam Aadmi Party rival Surinder Sodhi for allegedly indulging in re-inauguration of already inaugurated works, third time Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh said any such act would not bring him any political mileage. In the ensued credit war, the AAP leader too has taken on the MLA asking him why it took him 10 years to start development works.

Pargat has also alleged that Sodhi has been wrongly taking claim of re-carpeting of the roads for his government whereas the work order for the same project had been sanctioned ahead of the 2022 Assembly poll. The Congress MLA has cited the example of roads of Royal Estate colony falling between Deep Nagar and Nangal Karar Khan. “I had inaugurated the road works of the same colony on November 21, 2021, during my previous tenure, which the AAP leader is inaugurating again now”, said the MLA.

He elaborated: “The base work for the road had already been readied and just premix layering was left. The AAP leader went ahead to get a photo opportunity in the area and to show to the people that it was he who was now getting all works done through his government whereas the reality was otherwise”.

Pargat, who has recently gone to Canada, maintains that an AAP leader who has lost the elections and holds no constitutional post also does not have any right to inaugurate works being done with the government money. “Such acts amount to befooling people for petty personal gains. The reality is that I had got started various development works in my constituency, many of which are now near completion and the AAP leadership wants to take the credit for the same ahead of the MC poll,” he has said.

Sodhi counters all allegations saying “If Pargat was to actually undertake development of his area, why did it take him 10 years to get started. He has already represented the area for two terms, why did he keep on waiting all this while and start getting work when his tenure was about to end?”

The AAP leader further questions the legislator: “Even if Pargat’s claim is correct that he inaugurated road work in Royal Estate colony in November, why could he not get it completed even in six months? If work orders had already been passed, there should have been no issue of getting road re-carpeted. The reality is that it was I who got the work pushed through my government for the relief to the hundreds of people in the colony and the vicinity and I am rightly taking the claim for it”.