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Bharatiya Janata Party's national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann amid an escalating controversy over alleged irregularities of transfer-posting of employees in the state, accusing the CM of widespread corruption.
Adressing a press conference, Bhatia said, "The public is facing a very serious issue, and it wouldn't be wrong to say--highly dishonest, sinful 'AAP'...Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann have become symbols of corruption today." Referring to an image, Bhatia said, "This image is circulating everywhere on social media. Highly dishonest. Look at the faces... 'B.B.' (referring to Bhagwant Mann) everyone knows. He is called 'Batli' (Bottle) Bhagwant, the 'bottle man'. Now, this 'B.B.' has become 'Bhrashtachari' (Corrupt) Bhagwant." The row centres on allegations that Chief Minister Mann's Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Rajbir Singh Ghuman, ran an organised racket influencing transfers and postings of IAS and IPS officers across Punjab. Bhatia alleged a systemic pricing structure for postings. "In this entire scam, the transfers and postings of senior officials in Punjab--IAS, IPS--are done according to a 'rate card'," he said, adding that facts from the ED investigation into OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman showed "a rate card was created, and one would have to pay a set price for whichever charge they were assigned." Raising concerns beyond the transfer scam, he said, "When the central government and any state government share and exchange a vast amount of confidential information, it could even involve matters of national security. When these lists, which are strictly confidential, get leaked, what's the guarantee that Bhagwant Mann isn't leaking information related to highly sensitive national security? What is the credibility? Nil, absolutely zero." (ANI)
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