Punjab vigilance grills ex-minister Singla in disproportionate assets case

Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) on Tuesday grilled former minister and Congress MLA Vijay Inder Singla for four and half hours for allegedly having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The vigilance asked him about his properties and the affidavit that he summoned before election while contesting 2022 assembly polls.

Singla was elected as a member of Parliament from Sangrur constituency in 2009 and lost to Bhagwant Mann in 2014. However, he won the assembly elections from Sangrur in 2017 and became a cabinet minister in the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government. Among the major portfolios he held were the education and public works department (PWD).

Earlier, he was called at the VB’s Sangrur office on March 17 but he failed to appear before the vigilance. Later he was summoned again and he appeared on Tuesday.

While speaking to mediapersons after being quizzed, Singla said, “I am a law abiding citizen of the country and the state. People of this area (Sangrur constituency) have given me a chance to serve them and I have served very well. I remained the cabinet minister for four years. And the vigilance has started an inquiry. They have asked me questions related to my properties and the works of my department.”

“Everything of mine is in the public domain and I am ready to face any inquiry. I will cooperate with vigilance,” the former minister added.

Jagatpreet Singh, SSP of vigilance’s Patiala range, was among those officers, who quizzed Singla for hours.

He said, “We have questioned him in connection with the inquiry. Apart from this, we cannot reveal anything.”

Apart from the DA probe, in September, Singla’s aides were summoned by the VB in another inquiry pertaining to allegations of manipulation in allotment of Punjab PWD tenders during the Congress rule. However, there has been no headway in that case.

Singla is among the ten former ministers, who are under the VB scanner for disproportionate assets. Besides, five other former MLAs of Congress government are also facing inquiries pertaining to the disproportionate assets. These five MLAs include, former Dhuri MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy, who contested the last assembly election against chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.