Sack Ashu, the ‘kingpin’ of multi-crore Ludhiana land scam: Manuke to Captain

Chandigarh, March 15: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have been raising the issue surrounding the multi-crore  Ludhiana Grand Manor Homes scam involving, among others, Punjab Civil Supplies Minister, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, ever since his name prominently figured in the inquiry report conducted at the behest of Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. Subsequent protests by AAP leaders, including the one staged outside the official residence of the minister, seeking his dismissal from the state cabinet for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore land scam had failed to yield any tangible outcome, she said.

The issue had echoed during the recently-concluded Punjab Budget session as well but the ‘kingpin’ of the scam had been walking free despite all the brouhaha. Divulging details, Deputy Leader of Opposition (Deputy LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sarvjit Kaur Manuke on the occasion said that during the Budget session, the issue had rocked the House but to no consequence.

This had ended up in a walk-out staged by the party MLAs in protest. She added that even audio clips showing the minister threatening the investigating officers had also become viral on social media platforms. This, she said, pointed fingers at the government’s non-serious stance over the issue. Manuke further said the government in the saddle was head over heels in corruption, with its ministers indulging in an open loot under the protective patronage of the Chair, thus making mockery of the law.

The government’s dilly dallying over the issue was out to set new precedent to perpetuate corruption, she said. She demanded that the Captain government should come clean on the issue of wiping out corruption by sacking the tainted minister, thereby instilling a semblance of people’s trust which, she said, had nosedived to its nadir. Manuke said that if the government failed to take action against the ‘tainted’ minister, the Aam Aadmi Party would be left with no choice but to stage protest marches across the state and hold ‘dharnas’ to expose its connivance in the deal.