Punjab: Cong MLA Pargat Singh questions own govt over PPAs, sacrilege incidents

Congress MLA Pargat Singh on Wednesday took on his own government in the Punjab Assembly over issues of "faulty" power purchase agreements and desecration of religious texts.

The Jalandhar Cantonment MLA, who had earlier questioned the performance of the Congress-led government in the state, demanded that a House committee should be formed to find out people responsible for the "faulty" power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Taking a dig at the government over the desecration of religious texts that took place in 2015, the legislator said no charges have been framed yet in this matter.

On the issue of the PPAs, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had told the House on Tuesday that the government would table a white paper on the agreements signed by the previous SAD-BJP government in the assembly soon.

During the zero hour on the concluding day of the Budget session on Wednesday, the legislator requested the speaker to form a House committee to find out those behind the PPAs, be it from the government or the Opposition.

"Political man has almost lost his face value," he said, underlining that it was an important issue.

"In three weeks, this committee should throw light on who were behind all these PPAs," he added.

Critical of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Pargat Singh said they had signed the PPAs and now they wanted a CBI probe.

Raising the 2015 sacrilege incidents, Singh expressed displeasure over not framing charges against the accused involved in it.

"Five years have passed since the sacrilege incidents took place. No charges have been framed yet," he said.

Singh, in a letter that had appeared in the media last month, had questioned the government's effectiveness in tackling issues of drug menace, sand mafia and corruption in the transport sector besides the desecration of religious texts.