AAP holds protest against 'foodgrain scam' in Punjab

Aam Aadmi Party today held protest against the alleged multi-crore foodgrain scam in Punjab and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into the issue.
AAP had plans to 'gherao' Chief Minister's residence in Chandigarh but police deployed at Mohali-Chandigarh border prevented protesters from moving ahead.
Large number of AAP workers participated in the protest at Mohali bringing traffic to a halt by choking several roads.
AAP leader Succha Singh Chhotepur later told reporters that he, Sanjay Singha and Bhagwant Mann met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at his residence who wanted a "closed door" meeting but gave into to AAP's pressure and came out to meet them.

The AAP leaders who went to meet Badal raised slogans against the state government, alleging it to be "anti-farmers".
Chhotepur said they had given a week's time to the state government to clear outstanding payments to wheat growers.

The top AAP leaders also met Punjab Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki and submitted a memorandum.
"Aam Aadmi Party demands that in order to bring facts before the public of Punjab an SIT to be monitored by Supreme Court should be set up and all politicians and officers responsible for the this 'Grain Stock Shortage Scam' should be brought to book, put behind bars and dealt with as per the law of the land," the memorandum demanded.

AAP has also demanded compensation of Rs 15 lakh for the families of farmers who committed suicide due to crop failure and bad loans.
Through the memorandum, the AAP also demanded sacking and prosecution of state's Agriculture Minister Tota Singh for criminal negligence causing alleged loss to the farmers in the cotton belt of Malwa last year.
In another development, Punjab government today issued
advertisements in newspapers claiming that account of every procured grain is maintained by Punjab procurement agencies and FCI.
It claimed there was a "conspiracy of anti-Punjab elements" to "defame" Punjab and said bogey of "missing wheat" was raised by opposition parties for their "political gains".

"Beware of those (who are) out to defame Punjab," said an advertisement.
In view of the AAP protest, police had deployed riot control vehicles, fire fighting engines, ambulances to restrain the AAP activists from entering Chandigarh, officials said here.
Yesterday, Badal announced to cancel his previous engagements in the wake of AAP protest and said that he would "remain available" at his residence to receive "any responsible political leader or representative for discussion on any issue concerning the people of the state."
AAP National Spokesman and in-charge of party affairs in Punjab, Sanjay Singh accused Badal of using "coercive ways and means at his command to ensure AAP doesn't hold a massive protest demonstration and surround his official residence at Chandigarh to expose his misdeeds."

"The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has unearthed the biggest food scam of the country accusing the Badal government of either siphoning off Rs 12,000 crore or the food grains worth the same amount from the Punjab godowns," he further added.