Hindustan
Times: Patiala: Friday, October 26, 2012.
An unnamed
epidemic seemed to have gripped associates of Sucha Singh Langah in his segment
Dera Baba Nanak just before the polls held in January, and it cost the state
exchequer Rs. 37 lakh. Before he ended up losing, in the months before
imposition of the poll code of conduct in December, the then minister gave the
money - Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 50,000 per 'patient' from his discretionary grant to
nearly 500 close associates and workers of his party, the Shiromani Akali Dal
(SAD).
No
utilisation certificate has been submitted to the district administration
office for the grants disbursed under the head 'Bimari de Ilaaj layi' (for
medical treatment), as per documents procured under the Right to Information
(RTI) Act. No ailment was mentioned by name.
The Congress
alleges that it was an indirect bribe to voters.
Officials of
the in district administration are now wondering how to manage utilisation
certificates of these grants. "The grants were encashed through personal
accounts. How can we check whether the person was indeed ill or not?" said
an official.
Sources said
Langah could have avoided the controversy had he routed the money through the
local Red Cross body or paid directly to hospitals.
Quaintly, in
the first four years of the previous SAD-BJP government, Langah did not give
any such grants. But as elections approached, the number of 'sick' residents
increased.
A minister
gets Rs. 2 crore for his discretionary grants, of which he can spend only 50%
in his own segment.
Meanwhile,
the Congress is further alleging misuse of grants given to youth clubs.
Congress MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said Rs. 5 lakh were given to some
"favourite" clubs for infrastructure that does not exist to this day.
He demanded
an audit of all grants given by Langah.
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