Chandigarh, 13 December
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab President and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann took a stern notice of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President and MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu’s revelations about illegal occupation of 900 acres of government land and shamlat in the area of District SAS Nagar (Mohali) adjoining the capital (Chandigarh) by two former Chief Ministers. Mr. Bhagwant Mann demanded immediate action from Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi and also asked the government to identify the two former Chief Ministers who had encroached land worth Rs. 1.5 lakh crore in just one district. The government should also explain the reasons or compulsions that are stopping them from taking action against such a large scale land mafia?
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Monday, Bhagwant Mann said that on the basis of the report of Justice Kuldip Singh Commission, Navjot Singh Sidhu had stated that 900 acres of land worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore had been illegally acquired by the families of two former Chief Ministers only. The names of the two former chief ministers must have been mentioned in the report, then why is the Congress party and the their government refraining from making their names public? Navjot Singh Sidhu should also explain why he is reluctant to name these politicians.
State President Bhagwant Mann said that if the governments have the guts to take over the possession by removing the illegal occupations of the above two former Chief Ministers, then the entire debt of all the farmers and farm laborers of Punjab could be compensated, which is amounting to about Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Mann said that the Justice Kuldip Singh Commission constituted in 2012 had submitted its report in 2013 to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the illegal and improper occupation of government and communal lands around Chandigarh by politicians, high officials and other cronies. But despite the passage of 8 long years, the Congress and SAD-BJP governments have not shown the courage to act on this report, as these politicians are involved too.
Mr. Bhagwant Mann said that if the illegal occupation of government and communal lands of SAS Nagar (Mohali) by the bigwigs including eminent politicians and prominent officials was evacuated and its market value was recovered then the loans of farmers, laborers and the entire debt on Punjab amounting about Rs 3.5 lakh crore could be repaid as according to the report of Justice Kuldip Singh, 25000 acres of government and communal land in Mohali district alone has been either illegally occupied or lands have been misappropriated with the forgery in revenue records. Political sincerity and willpower are required, to bring these billions of rupees worth land back under government control, which neither the Congress nor Badals and the BJP have.
MP Bhagwant Mann said that the issue was raised by Navjot Singh Sidhu himself, now along with Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi; it is a test for Advocate General of Punjab D.S. Patwalia too, as he is son of Justice Kuldip Singh.
The AAP leader challenged Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to make the names public of all the occupants including the two former Chief Ministers and to also inform the people about the time frame for their decisive action.
Mr. Mann said that as long as the names of the two former Chief Ministers were not known to the people, all the former Chief Ministers from Gopi Bhargava to Capt. Amarinder Singh and their families could not be free from these serious allegations. Bhagwant Mann also appealed to all the families of the former Chief Ministers to come forward on this issue so that people do not see them as land mafia. It may be recalled that Justice Kuldip Singh Commission was constituted on May 29, 2012 on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which submitted their two reports in March, 2013 and in July 2013 respectively, but till the date no action, based on these reports, has been taken by the governments.
