Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday stated that he had not obtained any resignation from his Cupboard minister Lal Chand Kataruchak within the backdrop of prices of sexual misconduct.
Addressing a press convention in Chandigarh, Mann stated he additionally had not obtained any purported movies of the minister that confirmed the allegations.
Senior Congress chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira had Monday met Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and claimed to have handed over to him movies of “a Punjab minister” which contained “extremely objectionable content material”.
Exterior the Raj Bhavan, Khaira instructed the media that the contents of the movies have been so objectionable {that a} viewer can’t watch them even for 15-20 seconds. He stated the 2 clips have been of 4-minute and 8-minute length.
Khaira stated that he requested the Punjab governor to get the authenticity of the movies verified and to provoke motion towards the minister.
Though Khaira had not named the minister, BJP chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa tweeted claiming that “extremely obscene” video clips of Kataruchak have been handed over to the governor.
Extremely obscene video of AAP Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak has been submitted to Governor Punjab.
The minister has tendered his resignation & CM Bhagwant Mann would do a Press Conf of the identical in morning.AAP Punjab is busy managing its scandals.
His Viral video is the #Badlaav
— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) May 1, 2023
Rubbishing the fees towards his minister, the Punjab chief minister stated that each Khaira and Sirsa have been used to creating false allegations. “If Manjinder Singh Sirsa is saying that Kataruchak has resigned, then possibly Kataruchak has handed over his resignation to Sirsa as a result of I’ve not obtained it,” he stated.
Kataruchak, 52, is an MLA from Bhoa in Pathankot and is the Punjab meals and civil provides minister.
Mann stated Sirsa himself was “fairly an knowledgeable in giving resignations and he thinks that that is the way it occurs elsewhere as properly”. This solely present that the opposition leaders are apprehensive in regards to the Jalandhar bypoll and haven’t any different difficulty to speak about, he added.
The Jalandhar seat fell vacant after the dying of Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary, who collapsed throughout the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. The bypoll is slated for 10 Could.
The CM additionally lashed out at Khaira saying that when the latter was heading the Punjab Democratic Alliance, he gave a ticket to Kataruchak to contest the parliamentary polls from Gurdaspur. “That point he didn’t discover something fallacious with him,” stated Mann.
“Khaira ought to perceive that we have now been chosen by Punjab for a time frame and we are going to full it. I do know Khaira very properly, and he appears at all times in a rush to occupy this chair,” he stated, pointing on the chair of the chief minister.
On Monday, Khaira had instructed media individuals that he was given the video clips by “some accountable individuals”. “I’ve utilized my thoughts and determined towards placing these movies within the public area as a result of it might need a really unhealthy influence on the younger minds on the market. As an alternative, I’ve chosen handy over these clips to the Punjab governor together with the formal grievance,” he stated.
The Congress chief additional claimed that in case he was handy over these video clips to the Punjab authorities or the Punjab police, they might attempt to brush all the factor below the carpet. “The target of the Bhagwant Mann authorities and the police is now below a cloud as a result of for the previous one yr, the federal government has solely acted towards opposition leaders by way of the vigilance bureau,” he alleged.
Khaira had additionally stated that he requested the governor that if an unbiased probe company confirmed the authenticity of the movies, then he ought to ask the Mann authorities to drop the minister from the Cupboard and {that a} case be registered if there was any type of “sexual behaviour”.
Earlier, the Bholath MLA had accused Kataruchak of using his personal family, together with his son, on official positions. In response, Kataruchak had denied the allegations saying that he’ll transfer court docket for in search of defamation motion.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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