Chandigarh, March 23 The Punjab BJP claimed on Monday that the AAP government was forced to arrest former state minister Laljit Singh Bhullar over the suicide of an official of the warehousing corporation because Union Home Minister Amit Shah indicated that the case might be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Gagandeep Singh Randhawa, the district manager of Punjab State Warehousing Corporation in Amritsar, allegedly ended his life by consuming poison early Saturday. A video appeared in which he purportedly claimed harassment by Bhullar, who resigned as minister later in the day at the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann amid the controversy.
In Delhi, Shah promised to immediately order a CBI inquiry into the alleged suicide of the official if all Punjab MPs gave him a written request on the matter.
The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha by Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Congress MP from Amritsar. He alleged that Bhullar had put pressure on the official, leading to his suicide.
Shah, who was sitting in the House at the time, was about to leave when Aujla requested him to listen to what he had to say.
Shah replied that if all Punjab MPs together gave him a written request, he would immediately order a CBI inquiry into the case.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said the Mann government was forced to proceed with the arrest of Bhullar because Shah had indicated that the case might be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Jakhar said the Mann government knows that if the case goes to the CBI, many more secrets of this "extremely corrupt" government could be exposed.
"However, the fight is not over yet. A fair investigation is necessary. The Punjab government will still try to delay the case under the pretext of an investigation," said Jakhar.
The Punjab BJP president demanded that the case be investigated by the CBI and heard in a fast-track court so that the guilty can be punished at the earliest and justice can be ensured for the family.
He also alleged that the government is trying to suppress the case and pressure is still being exerted on the victim's family.
Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said the state government was forced to climb down from the "high horse it was riding" and arrest Bhullar, following sustained pressure from the opposition.
Bajwa expressed gratitude to Congress workers and MPs Charanjit Singh Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Aujla and Dr Dharamvira Gandhi for forcefully raising the issue in Parliament and ensuring that the matter received national attention.
He asserted that the arrest of Bhullar was not voluntary but compelled by external pressure.
Bajwa claimed that Mann acted only after Union Home Minister Shah indicated that a CBI inquiry would be ordered into the matter.
Bajwa further revealed that he has personally written to the Chief Justice of India, requesting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the case and order a court-monitored investigation to ensure justice and transparency.