Leaked audio: Congress demands dismissal and arrest of Punjab minister Fauja Singh Sarari, Akali Dal seeks CBI probe

Chandigarh, September 12

Punjab Congress leaders on Monday demanded immediate dismissal and arrest of Defence Services Welfare and Food Processing Minister Fauja Singh Sarari over a leaked audio where he is purportedly heard to be allegedly planning to trap some contractors through some officials to extort money from them.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia has sought a CBI inquiry into Sarari’s alleged extortion tape.

Referring to an audio tape listing Sarari’s conversation with his OSD, Bikram Majithia said the minister was allegedly caught discussing a plan to trap some officials and extort money from them.

PPCC chief Amarinder Raja Warring and Punjab’s Leader of the opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa said, “They have not even completed six months and second minister has been caught indulging in corrupt practices and at this rate, in next two years we may see a dozen of their ministers landing in jail.”

Warring said earlier the government dismissed the health minister and jailed him over similar allegations. “This time the matter is already in the public domain with the minister’s audio clip and let us see what action the government takes,” he remarked.

Bajwa said, “Bhagwant Mann should not forget that on May 25 he had sacked his own health minister Dr Vijay Singla after he claimed in a video message that the latter was found indulging in corruption over the phone. Not only Bhagwant Mann sacked him from the cabinet but Dr Singla was also arrested on the same charges.”

Bajwa said once again Bhagwant should lead by an example and ask Sarari to put in his papers till the inquiry about his audio clip was completed.

“In case no inquiry is conducted by the Punjab government this will mean double standards of Bhagwant Mann. Moreover if Sarari continues to occupy the cabinet post he can influence the complainants as well as the witnesses in the case who may want to come forward to throw more light on the facts of the audio clip,” added Bajwa.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has demanded a CBI inquiry into the AAP minister Fauja Singh Sarari’s alleged extortion tape.

“The OSD has stated on record that the audio tape is genuine and now it is up to the government to hand over the tape as well as the entire set of allegations against Sarari to the CBI so that they can be probed thoroughly,” Majithia said.

Demanding chief minister Bhagwant Mann explain why no action had been taken against Sarari, Majithia said “in the case of former health minister Vijay Kumar Singla the chief minister had asserted that he had seen a video which indicted Singla and that this was why he was sacking him besides registering a case in the matter”.

The SAD leader said “the chief minister as well as AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal should not maintain double standards on corruption”. He demanded the immediate sacking of Sarari and registration of a criminal case against him.