Ministers accuse Jagmeet Brar as Akalis' mouthpiece

Chandigarh, May 12 (UNI) Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and several other senior ministers today ridiculed senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar for his statement in whcih he had criticised Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh for the land transfer deal between the Punjab Government and the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

Besides Ms Bhattal, the ministers who condemned Mr Brar for criticising the Punjab chief minsiter included Partap Singh Bajwa, Surinder Singla, Avtar Henry, Amarjit Singh Samra, Jasjit Singh Randhawa, Ch Jagjit Singh, Lal Singh, Sardool Singh, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Raghunath Sahay Puri and Hans Raj Josan.

Launching a frontal attack on Mr Brar, the ministers accused him of being an opportunist and a mouthpiece ''of the Shiromani Akali Dal, ''because he was also toeing the same line on which the Akali MPs were raking up such issues that pushed Punjab backward to the 20th century instead of taking it to 21st as envisioned by the Chief Minister.'' They said that Mr Brar's ''politically motivated'' statements at this crucial juncture could harm the winning prospects of the Congress party as the state assembly elections were round the corner.

The ministers said it was not the first time that Mr Brar had flouted the ethics of the party discipline that tantamount to sheer indiscipline and sowing the seeds of dissension within the party.

''Mr Brar is all alone resorting to petty politics to achieve his personal political agenda and serve the vested interest of the Akalis,'' they stated.

The ministers said that the controversy being raked up by SAD president Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal over this issue was a political gimmick just to woo the voters but the intentions of Mr Brar were more harmful and catastrophic for the state in general and Congress party in particular.

The accusation made by Mr Brar against Capt. Singh spoke volumes of his frustration and lust for capturing power in the State by hook or crook. ''Being a member of CWC, it is absolutely unfair and shameful for leader like Mr Brar vitiating the political atmosphere in the state congress party by indulging in mudslinging instead of emulating self discipline and high moral principles which are the ethos of congress culture and ideology,'' they said.

The ministers further said that the ambition of Capt Singh was to promote the diversification of agriculture for the welfare of the Punjab farmers who were in doldrums, and the venture of RIL was also a positive step in this direction.

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