Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has initiated legal action against Balbir Singh Sidhu, who was health minister in the previous Congress government, and his younger brother and former mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu. While the government has been pushing for the cancellation of membership of Jeeti Sidhu as a councillor in the past, now the Vigilance has also started an investigation against Balbir Sidhu.
Sidhu is accused of purchasing multi-crore land in Mohali and Rupnagar districts disproportionate to his income when he was a cabinet minister in the Congress government. After the change of power in Punjab, the two brothers had left the Congress and joined the BJP. On the other hand, Balbir Sidhu termed all the allegations as baseless and said that all this is the result of political vendetta.
According to the information received, the property purchased by Balbir Sidhu in the name of his wife and son will also be investigated and luxury vehicles in the name of family members have also come under the scanner. Sidhu’s younger brother Jeeti Sidhu’s 70-acre property purchased by the Real Estate Land Chester Company in Mohali and the alleged illegal occupation of land on the Sidhu family will also be probed. It is noteworthy that after the change of power, the Sidhu family came under the target of the state government.
Some time ago, the government had surrounded the Sidhu family over the land of Bal Gopal Gaushala in village Balongi and tried to take possession of the land of the gaushala with the help of the police, but the police appeared helpless in front of Sidhu and his supporters.
The high court later ruled in favour of the gaushala and issued stay orders till further orders. Jeeti Sidhu is returning from the US on January 3. Though he was on a foreign tour till January 9, he had to return a week in advance due to the government’s latest decision.
Former Health Minister and BJP leader Balbir Singh Sidhu termed all the allegations as baseless and fabricated and said that all this is the result of political vendetta.
He said that the rulers of the AAP government were trying to defame his family. Sidhu said that earlier his younger brother’s membership as councillor was cancelled and removed from the post of mayor and now it has come to know that an inquiry has been opened against him.