SRINAGAR: As a massive political storm seems to have erupted in the Jammu city, senior BJP leader and ex MLC Vikram Singh Randhawa leveled serious corruption charges against Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh.
Mr. Randhawa, who has also served as the president of the J-K Stone Crusher Owners Association for the past 20 years, claims that the Department of Geology and Mining has issued him a notice worth lakhs as a penalty, which he claims is unacceptably high.
Randhawa in a press conference here who’s video has been put by the J&K Congress, leveled allegations against the Union MoS in PMO and his staff in Jammu for having hand in glove with the corrupt officers in the administration, police and other departments.
BJP leader & Former MLC Vikram Randhawa is exposing corruption model of some bureaucrats with the able support of Union Minister @DrJitendraSingh .
Union Minister gets his due from this model. pic.twitter.com/h1uwA9x8Gk— J&K Congress (@INCJammuKashmir) May 3, 2021
Randhawa threatened to self immolate along with his family members, if the notice served to him was not be reverted back within a week.
“To please the staff of the PMO, District Mining Office Ankur Sachdeva is greasing their palms but in return, he is penalizing the Stone Crushers Owners at the behest of the senior leaders,” Randhawa alleged.
He said that if the government did not revert back the notices served to him as penalty, he will self immolate himself along with the family members next Monday outside the office of the District Mining Officer.
“Corruption is at its peak. I have been a loyal soldier of the BJP for the past three decades and I have no complaints with the party but a bunch of people are earning a bad name to the party by indulging into corrupt practices,” he alleged.
Mr. Randhawa further alleged that the registered stone crushers have been going through a rough patch since 2017, and that their children are on the verge of starvation as a result of the mining department’s actions.
During the press conference, the BJP leader named some officers from the police and administration, accusing them of working hand-in-hand with the Department of Geology and Mining.
Mr. Singh’s office in Jammu had also taken notice of the allegations and given Mr Randhawa a 24-hour deadline to prove his claims or demand a public apology, failing which he will face a defamation case worth Rs 1 crore.
“This notice of show cause initiates disciplinary proceedings against you in line with directions of Jammu and Kashmir Bhartiya Janata Party President (Ravinder Raina) with regard to addressing a press conference and a series of media interactions by you while leveling unfounded allegations against a senior leader of party holding responsible position in the Union Council of ministers,” reads a letter by the three-member disciplinary committee addressed to party Secretary Randhawa.
The letter, signed by Sunil Sethi, chairman of the BJP’s disciplinary committee, and members Virenderjeet Singh and ND Rajwal, called the leader’s “unparliamentary language” “extremely objectionable.”
“More so, this has prima facie tarnished the image of the party, believing strictly in discipline and decency. You are hereby directed to file your reply alongwith evidence, if any available with you, within next two days,” the letter said, adding on receipt of the reply, the next date in the matter would be fixed.
According to the letter, the proceedings will be completed quickly, and the report will be sent to the J&K BJP president within two weeks.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has appealed to the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to hold a high level enquiry into the allegations made by former BJP MLC.
“It is serious a matter that a senior the BJP leader has leveled such allegations and we want to appeal to the LG Manoj Sinha to frame a high level committee and order probe into the matter,” said senior vice-president JKPCC, Yogesh Sawhney, in a message circulated on social media.
Meanwhile, the Bhartiya Janta Party has served a show cause notice to Vikram Randhawa for “tarnishing” the party image in the public and for using unparliamentarily language.
Randhawa has been directed to file the reply along with evidence, if any available with him, within next two days.
