Channi, whose nephew is charged with unaccounted Rs 10 cr, cannot be poor CM: Sukhbir

Ludhiana, Feb 7 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said a chief minister from whose frontman and nephew Rs 10 crore in cash and gold and ill-gotten property papers of Rs 56 crore had been recovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) could not be called poor by any yardstick.

The SAD chief was answering a query regarding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim that Channi was a poor chief minister.

He said it was clearly known that Channi, who had graduated from delineating illegal colonies to becoming a sand mafia kingpin, was worth more than Rs 500 crore. "If we are to use Rahul Gandhi's yardstick to measure Channi's wealth then even the Gandhi family is very poor."

Asserting that Channi had not only betrayed Punjabis but even the scheduled caste community as well as weaker sections of society, Badal asked Channi to explain why he had never raised his voice in favour of the scheduled caste community and weaker sections.

He said it was a fact that Channi was a cabinet minister for nearly five years before becoming the chief minister.

"However he did not raise his voice to protect the interest of 4.5 lakh scheduled caste students who were not only denied SC scholarship but whose scholarship was embezzled by his cabinet colleague Sadhu Singh Dharamsot."

He said similarly Channi did not object to scrapping of lakhs of blue cards which entitled weaker sections to subsidized ration.

Badal also made it clear that no amount of announcements of the chief ministerial face could save the Congress party.

"The Congress party's ship is sinking by the day in Punjab."

When queried, Badal said Pradesh Congress chief Navjot Sidhu had maintained that he would not work as a showpiece horse but now Rahul Gandhi had not only tied the horse but also locked it in the stable.

When queried about AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, the SAD President said five years back Kejriwal had asked for votes by making grandiose promises to Punjabis.

"However he did not come back to the state for five years. Eleven of his 20 legislators even left the party. Today he has come back to the state to sell party tickets and earn crores of rupees. He has even given tickets to history sheeters and those with shady pasts. AAP's Ludhiana North candidate Madan Lal Bagga was expelled from the SAD following complaints of his questionable dealings. The party's Ludhiana Central candidate is a rape accused. AAP's Sanaur candidate is a proclaimed offender and has now left the campaign midway."

Badal also addressed public gatherings in support of R.D. Sharma in Ludhiana North during his tour to the city.

He said the law and order situation had totally collapsed during Congress rule because its ministers and legislators patronized gangsters. "This is why extortions and ransom calls became the norm during the last five years."

He promised to put an end to the gangster culture once and for all.