Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab president and Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann on Monday demanded a case against two former Chief Ministers of the state for allegedly encroaching 900 acres of government land in the SAS Nagar (adjoining Chandigarh).
Mann said as Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has claimed illegal occupation of 900 acres of government land and shamlat in SAS Nagar (Mohali) adjoining the capital (Chandigarh) by two former CMs, the Charanjit Singh Channi government should identify the two former CMs 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?,” the AAP leader said in a statement.
Mann said 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 CMs only.
“The names of the two former chief ministers must have been mentioned in the report, then why is the Congress party and their government refraining from making their names public? Sidhu should also explain why he is reluctant to name these politicians,” he asked.
The AAP leader said if the governments have the guts to take over the possession by removing the illegal occupations of the above two former CMs, 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 eight long years, the Congress and SAD-BJP governments have not shown the courage to act on this report, as these politicians are involved too,” he added.
Mann said as long as the names of the two former Chief Ministers were not known to the people, all the former CMs and their families could not be free from these serious allegations.