The Youth Akali Dal (YAD) today burnt effigies of SC Welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot at all district headquarters in the state

Chandigarh: The Youth Akali Dal (YAD) today burnt effigies of SC Welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot at all district headquarters in the state even as they demanded a CBI inquiry into the SC Scholarship scam and asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh not to shield the tainted minister at the cost of the future of Dalit students.

PhotoLeading the protest at Mohali amidst slogans of “Sadhu nahi chor hai” and Captain da Sadhu chor hai”, YAD President Parambans Singh Romana said it was a travesty of justice that even after it had been proved that Dharamsot had misappropriated Rs 69 crore belonging to SC students besides stopping distribution of Rs 309 crore and wrongfully distributing Rs 811 crore, no action was being taken against him.

Giving details, Parambans Romana said the Additional chief secretary, who was incharge of the SC Welfare department, had formed a three member team which had come out with a report stating that there was no record of Rs 39 crore which had been released at the instance of the minister and that Rs 24 crore had been released by Dharamsot to educational institutions against whom recoveries were pending.

Photo

“Despite this damming report against the minister the chief minister is trying to procure a clean chit for Dharamsot by marking another inquiry to the chief secretary.

What will the chief secretary inquire now? We reject this inquiry and demand the immediate sack and arrest of Dharamsot and his accomplices or we will intensify the agitation against this thief”, Romana added.

The YAD President also said the chief minister was playing with the future of Dalit students by protecting Dharamsot because he was his yes man and belonged to Patiala district.

“Already the students have suffered a lot. Admission of Dalit students in higher educational institutions in the State has gone down from 3.30 lakh during SAD-BJP tenure to 1.50 lakh now, which is a drop of 1.80 lakh.

Photo

This is not all. SC students are being harassed by college managements who are not releasing their degrees pending submission of their scholarship amounts”.

Romana assured Dalit students and their parents that the YAD would lead their struggle and ensure justice was done to them.

“We will force the Congress government to not only release all scholarship amounts due to students including Rs 309 crore lying with it, but also ensure complete audit of Rs 811 crore received from the centre for this scheme during the last more than three years”.

PhotoThe YAD thanked union social justice and empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot for ordering a high-level ministerial inquiry into the scam but urged him to recommend a CBI inquiry into the matter also.

“This is needed keeping in view the scope of the fraud as well as patronage being extended to the corrupt minister by the chief minister as well as the Congress high command which indicates that they are all “bhagidar”.

“These funds have also been paid to the Cong HC by Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal who bought his ticket from funds he swindled as Director of this department”.