Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal condemned the Congress government in the state for misusing government chopper to bring Rawat from Delhi for talks with the Chief Minister at Chandigarh on Saturday.
Demanding an inquiry into the matter, Akali Dal spokesperson Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said that it was strange that Punjab Congress was misusing the resources of the state. He said that there was no point in bringing Rawat to Chandigarh at government expense when it was clear that Congress General Secretary was coming to Chandigarh to meet Capt. Amarinder Singh to resolve the crisis of the Punjab Congress. He said that either the cost of chopper should be borne by the Rawat or the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh should be asked to pay the cost out of his own pocket instead of the exchequer. He said that government funds could not be used to resolve the infighting of Congress.
Dr. Cheema also said that the misuse of government chopper was contrary to the promise made by the Congress party in its election manifesto which stated that the use of government helicopters by the Chief Minister and Ministers were only in case of emergency natural calamities. He said that like other promises made to the Punjabis, the promises made in the election manifesto regarding the use of government chopper have been shattered.
The Akali Dal leader said that it was highly reprehensible that even the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh had recently said in the case of being summoned to Delhi by the Congress High Command two months back that the government chopper would not be misused. He said that this helicopter was not used to meet the farmers who were involved in a power crisis or government employees who were protesting against the Congress government in the state. Dr. Cheema asked the Chief Minister to ensure that the government chopper was not used for personal purposes of the party in the future.
(Story contributed by Mr. Dinesh Sharma )