The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accept the resignation of Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, accused by the opposition of illegally bagging sand mining contracts.
"It is highly imperative that the man (Rana Gurjit Singh) be dropped from the cabinet without any further delay which will be in the interest of Punjab," Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira said.
Rana Gurjit Singh said today that he had submitted his resignation to the chief minister "on moral grounds" as the opposition had been making false allegations against him and demanded his removal.
The chief minister confirmed that he had received the resignation letter and said he would discuss the matter with his Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on January 18 in Delhi before taking a final call on it.
AAP MLA Khaira told reporters here, "It is a test case for Rahul Gandhi who recently became the president of the Congress...whether he shows zero tolerance against corruption or shies away from taking action."
The AAP leader said the resignation was "a victory of truth".
"It is also a victory for the people. It is a result of AAP's crusade against corruption," said Khaira.
Khaira further said that his party would soon move the high court seeking a CBI probe into the sand mining auctions.
Besides the mining contract controversy of last year, the minister came under fire from the opposition after the Enforcement Directorate this month served a summon on his son, Rana Inder Partap Singh, for allegedly raising funds abroad for a family-owned company without the required permission from the Reserve Bank of India.
The SAD demanded that a criminal case be registered against Rana Gurjit Singh for his alleged involvement in the sand mining auction.
In a statement here today, senior SAD leader and MP Balwinder Singh Bhundar said Rana Gurjit Singh's resignation had also proved that the entire process of allocation of sand mines was "flawed".
The opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has demanded the sacking of Rana Gurjit Singh for allegedly acquiring sand and gravel mining contracts through "benami transactions in the names of his cook and office staff".
The minister has vehemently denied this charge and claimed that there was no wrongdoing on his part.
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