Rana Gurjit Singh Punjab’s Power and Irrigation Minister submitted his resignation papers to the Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh. Rana is being accused of pocketing sand mine contracts worth crores on his staff’s names. Congress President Rahul Gandhi asked Gurjit to resign from his post after the corruption allegations surfaced.
Gurjit confirmed resigning but it yet to be known if Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accepted the resignation or not. Gurjit was quoted saying, “Yes, I have resigned. Now, it is up to the Chief Minister and the party high command to take further action.”
Explaining his resignation Rana said, “On a previous occasion, when my name appeared in the sand mining controversy, I had offered my resignation on moral grounds. On the same grounds, I have submitted my resignation to the CM.”
In May last year, Gurjit came under the scanner after his Nepalese cook Amit Bahadur won a sand mine bid. The sand mine worth Rs. 26.51 crores was at Saidpur Khurd village in Nawanshahar. Gurjit’s close associate Captain J. S. Randhawa also managed to bag some mine contracts.
Gurjit’s company under his cook’s name is also being investigated for borrowing Rs. 5 crores from a contractor. The contractor is accused of a multi crore scam in Gurjit’s department. At the same time, Rana Sugars Limited which is owned by Gurjit’s family is being accused of raising and hiding Rs. 100 crores in a foreign account.
The issue was raised by the Opposition parties targeting Rana Gurjit Singh and the Congress. Akali Dal Party questioned the sand mine bids controversy after the Congress spoke about illegal sand mining in Punjab as an election issue.
Rana Gurjit Singh explained that he had earlier resigned when his name was first dragged into the sand mine auction controversy. But Singh has also denied all the charges against him. He stated that neither him nor his company Rana Sugars Limited have or had any direct or indirect stakes in the sand mining business.
