Mann siding with BJP, shying away from farm issues: Cong

Daring Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to lead from the front in holding negotiations between the Centre and farmers, the Congress today accused him of playing politics in collusion with the BJP.

Pargat Singh, vice-president, Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “AAP staged dharnas in Delhi when their supremo Arvind Kejriwal faced ED case in a liquor scam. However, the party cannot engage with the Centre when farmers are making rightful claim for the minimum support price (MSP) on all crops.”

Days after former minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu was released from the jail in an alleged Rs 2,000 food transportation tender scam, the Jalandhar Cantt MLA along with another vice-president Kushaldeep Dhillon, former Punjab Youth Congress head Barinder Dhillon and Bathinda district head Khushbaz Jattana took on the CM for indulging in character assassination of its leaders.

Pointing towards the clean chit given to Ashu and the CM failing to prove any of his charges against Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, they said Mann had no time for issues concerning Punjab and was rather pursuing the BJP’s agenda to harm the Congress.

Pargat said the Mann-led AAP government was using civil and police administration to further its political agenda as it was visible in recently held panchayat and civil body elections. The Congress’ councillors were being threatened to prove AAP’s majority in civic bodies, he said.

“On one hand, Mann is doing character assassination of Congress leaders and on the other, he has failed to launch probe against his partymen, including Dr Vijay Singla, Balkar Singh, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Fauja Singh Srari,”

said Kushaldeep.