Valuables missing from the official homes of two former ministers made headlines days after the AAP rode to power in the Punjab Assembly elections.
One of the two Congress ministers in question, Manpreet Singh Badal, has claimed that he has “purchased” the items reported missing from his house (No. 47) vacated on March 24. Badal also shared a photo of a cheque amounting to Rs 1.84 lakhs that he handed over to authorities.
Jaijeet Singh Johal, the brother-in-law of Manpreet Singh Badal, also said in a video shared on Facebook that the furniture reported missing by authorities was not ‘antique’ as is being claimed on social media.
READ: Valuables worth lakhs missing after two former Punjab ministers vacate govt houses
“I also want to clarify that the furniture has not been categorised as heritage but was renovated in 2008 when Manpreet Badal became the Finance minister. The furniture was repaired from a furniture shop by spending rupees 1.60 lakh,” Johal said.
Badal’s brother-in-law claimed that the valuables in question – a dining table, ten dining table chairs, a service trolley and a recliner sofa – were restored in 2017 since they had not been in use for 15 years.
“After 15 years, we vacated the house and the same was allotted to the then Akali Dal minister. He did not use those items which were licking dust in the PWD store. The items were again issued to Manpreet Badal in 2017 when he became the Finance Minister.
“The items were repaired again and the PWD department gave you the option that, if you want to keep the furniture, you can pay for it. We paid Rs 1.84 lakh for the old furniture. We have already issued a cheque on the 24th of March 2022,” Jaijeet Singh Johal said.
Asked why the items were not put forward in a public auction if they could not be pressed into service, an official of the Punjab PWD Department (B&R) said, “There is a provision to recover the cost of the items from the allottee if the items are missing.”
The former minister has, therefore, been issued a no dues certificate by the authorities concerned, the official added.
Besides house No. 47, two refrigerators, five LED TVs, four oil-filled radiators, six room heaters and five pedestal fans worth over Rs 4.86 lakhs were also reported missing from house No. 960, which was allotted to Gurpreet Kangar, the former Revenue minister.
While the authorities have asked the minister to return the valuables, the minister has claimed he has yet to vacate the official residence.
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a Cabinet Minister in CM Bhagwant Mann’s AAP government, reacted to the developments by saying, “I have also been allotted a government house. Upon inspection, it has been found that even small items worth a few hundred rupees have also been taken away.
“If we stoop to this level, what type of politics are they doing? They are thieves and looters. I condemn it.”
Asked to comment, AAP spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang said “stealing” home appliances and furniture is not justified. Officials managing the properties are equally responsible for the lapse, he added.
“Nobody authorised them [Congress ministers] to take the government property with them. This speaks about their character. They first looted Punjab and did not even hesitate to steal the furniture and other valuables. This is shameful,” Malwinder Singh Kang said.