Punjab: Former CM Channi appears before Vigilance Bureau; slams AAP govt for 'vendetta politics'

Addressing a press conference before he reached the bureau's office, Channi launched a scathing attack on the state's AAP government and said he "may be tortured, arrested or even killed", but he is prepared to face it.

Team Newsable

First Published Apr 14, 2023, 5:00 PM IST

Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday (April 14) appeared before the Vigilance Bureau in connection with a disproportionate assets matter and was questioned for several hours by the officials even as he described the probe as "totally political".

Ahead of entering the bureau's Mohali office around 11 am, the Congress leader slammed the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over his date of appearance being advanced and claimed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's regime was indulging in "vendetta politics".

The bureau had initially asked Channi to appear for questioning on April 12. He, however, requested for another date to join the investigation, which the bureau allowed, asking him to appear on April 20.

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Later, the Vigilance Bureau advanced it to Friday. The bureau has been inquiring into allegations of Channi amassing assets disproportionate to his known source of income.

Last month, the bureau had issued a lookout circular against the former chief minister. Asked about being questioned in the matter before he entered the bureau's office, Channi rubbished that he had accumulated any disproportionate assets and said, "The probe is totally political. Let them do what they want."

"Hang me if even one person says Channi was indulging in any corrupt practice," the former CM said breaking down in tears. Channi said ahead of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, he has raised some issues. He alleged that the AAP government has been rattled by the questions he raised including those relating to Dalits, "on what the chief minister said about Akal Takht Jathedar", about justice in sacrilege cases and farmers' issues.

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"And when someone speaks the truth, the one who is a liar feels the pinch -- that is what has happened with the AAP government," he alleged. The former chief minister was flanked by senior party leaders, including the Congress' Punjab unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Harish Chaudhary and Partap Singh Bajwa.

Channi thanked the Congress leadership for standing behind him. He said he will go to the VB office alone and added he does not fear arrest.

Meanwhile, Channi also slammed the AAP government over his date of appearance being advanced and alleged it was part of the dispensation's "vendetta politics".

"They summoned me on a public holiday when offices are shut. For torturing Channi, the offices have been especially opened and the day they have chosen is (the day) of Baisakhi and Dr BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary," he said, asking if this is democracy, mobocracy or oligarchy and claimed the government wants to keep him away from campaigning for the Congress candidate in next month's Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypolls.

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Channi, who was the Congress' chief ministerial candidate in the 2022 assembly elections, went abroad shortly after his party's defeat in the polls.

He had contested from the Chamkaur Sahib and the Bhadaur assembly constituencies but lost from both. Channi succeeded Amarinder Singh in September 2021 following the latter's unceremonious exit as chief minister.

Last Updated Apr 14, 2023, 5:00 PM IST