Punjab Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, accused by the opposition of illegally bagging sand mining contracts, has submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is yet to act on it.
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.
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.
"I have given my resignation from the ministry to the Captain Sahib (the chief minister). I handed over my resignation personally to the chief minister a week ago," Rana Gurjit Singh said today.
The chief minister, however, said he had received the resignation letter on January 4. "It has been with me for 12 days," he said.
Rana Gurjit Singh, who is considered close to the chief minister, was inducted into the cabinet after the Congress returned to power in the state last year.
Asked why he tendered his resignation, the minister said he resigned on moral grounds as the opposition had been trying to corner the chief minister by making false allegations against him (Rana) and was demanding his resignation.
"I have set a standard by resigning on moral grounds," the MLA from Kapurthala said.
Asked whether the chief minister had asked him to resign, the minister said, "Never. I am here (in politics) because of him (Amarinder Singh)."
"I had earlier also offered to resign (during the sand mining controversy last year). Then the chief minister told me to continue," said Rana Gurjit Singh, whose family has business interests in sugar, power and distillery.
The opposition, particularly Leader of the Opposition and AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, has been demanding Rana Gurjit Singh's resignation.
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.
Facing immense pressure, the Amarinder Singh-led government had in May last year formed the Justice J S Narang Commission to look into mining auctions.
The commission was mandated to probe all aspects of the allegations of impropriety against the irrigation and power minister in the multi-crore sand mining auctions.
This year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) asked the minister's son to appear before it on January 17 for allegedly raising funds to tune of USD 18 millions abroad by floating global depository receipts for one of the family-owned companies without the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India.
"The opposition again made a hue and cry that the ED has issued summons. They issued such notices several times and the reply will again be given this time also," the minister said, denying any violation of any norm.
Rana Gurjit Singh said that he had not been handling family businesses since 2000.
Rana Gurjit Singh also dared AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira to resign from his post as his name also allegedly figured in a drug case.
"Well, I have resigned. The person (Khaira) who has been making noise and seeking my resignation, will he now resign on moral grounds or not remains to be seen. He should also resign. I have set the standard and he should also follow me," Rana Gurjit Singh said, adding, "I have showed courage as I have not committed any sin.
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