Daresi Fair row orchestrated by Cong, BJP leaders: MLA

AAP legislator from Ludhiana (Central) Ashok Parashar Pappi has demanded a Vigilance inquiry against alleged illegal encroachments by some entrepreneurs belonging to the Congress and the BJP leading protests in the Daresi Fair row for the past two days.

He said he would also raise the issue in the Punjab Assembly Session as illegal encroachments by the owners of a palace and a dying unit had also affected over 500 families adversely.

While addressing a press conference on Monday evening, the MLA regretted that Congress activists, led by PPCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, and BJP activists, led by Gurdeep Sharma, committed a sacrilege by keeping the sacred Ram Lakshman Dola on the ground with an ulterior motive of harnessing political mileage.

Reiterating his earlier denial to charges levelled by a Daresi Fair contractor regarding demanding of Rs 10 lakh as a bribe against him, Pappi announced that he would quit politics if somebody proves that he had ever demanded or received a single penny from anyone.

On being questioned about organisation of similar events without taking permission from the administration, the MLA argued that all permissions were issued by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain on the basis of recommendations of government personnel concerned in various departments and he (Pappi) had objected to one fair as it was causing undue blockade of passage on both sides of the road.

The AAP leader alleged that the alleged attempt by Daresi Fair contractor Ashok Kumar to ‘commit suicide’ was orchestrated by the Congress and the BJP with an intent to malign his image as they were upset that people had started exposing those families, which had been minting money on the pretext of organising Dasehra at Daresi Ground.

He claimed that he had been organising Shobha Yatras for the past 15 years under the banner of the Sanatan Sankat Mochan Committee as its chairman.

The MLA said he would soon meet Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma and DC Himanshu Jain for initiating action against the contractor for his alleged unlawful activity of pretending to die by suicide in public with an ulterior motive to implicate him (Pappi) in a fake abetment of suicide case.

The contractor had allegedly attempted to die by suicide by pouring petrol on himself on Saturday evening, accusing the MLA of demanding Rs 10 lakh as bribe.

Politicians, led by Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and BJP leader Gurdeep Sharma, had come to the support of the contractor and launched a protest against the legislator after the incident.