On Tuesday, July 4, Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Bhagwant Mann accused the previous Congress government in the state of “helping” dreaded gangster Mukhtar Ansari in evading the case in MP/MLA court. He further accused the then-Congress-ruled Punjab government of allotting prime land of Waqf Board to the sons of Mukhtar Ansari in Ropar district.
Bhagwant Mann was interacting with the media when he levelled the accusations. Former CM Amarinder Singh, who left Congress and joined hands with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently, has refuted the claims and said he did not know Ansari. In reply, CM Mann, in a challenging tone, asked Capt Singh to talk to his son Raninder Singh and confirm via whom Ansari approached then-Punjab Government. He claimed that Raninder met Ansari repeatedly and accused the former CM of lying on the issue to “mislead the people”.
CM @BhagwantMann ने किया
— AAP Punjab (@AAPPunjab) July 4, 2023
🔥 बेहद बड़ा खुलासा 🔥
पूर्व CM @capt_amarinder के कार्यकाल में गैंगस्टर मुख्तार अंसारी के बेटे अब्बास अंसारी और उमर अंसारी को वक्फ बोर्ड के अंतर्गत रोपड़ में ज़मीनें दी गईं
उससे जुड़े सबूत और कागज़ात 👇 pic.twitter.com/1IoJdPzfGo
CM Mann also accused the Captain-led Congress government of helping Ansari to secure prime Waqf Board land in Ropar. He also showed some documents as evidence of the allotment. He challenged Captain to explain how the prime land of the Waqf Board in Ropar was allotted to the sons of Ansari, namely Abbas and Umar Ansari, without the intervention of the former CM. He further added in the coming days, he would furnish more proof regarding the wrongdoings of the Congress-led Punjab government in matters related to Ansari.
ਜੇਲ੍ਹ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਹੁੰਦਿਆਂ ਚਿੱਠੀ ਲਿੱਖ ਕੇ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਅੰਸਾਰੀ ਬਾਰੇ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਸਪੱਸ਼ਟ ਕਰੋ ਕੈਪਟਨ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ…ਕੈਪਟਨ ਸਾਬ੍ਹ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਨੇ ਮੈਂ ਕਦੇ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ‘ਚ ਅੰਸਾਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਹੀ ਨਹੀਂ…ਐਵੇਂ ਸਰਕਾਰਾਂ ਚੱਲਦੀਆਂ ਹੁੰਦੀਆਂ ਨੇ…ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਝ ਪਤਾ ਹੀ ਨਹੀਂ…ਮੈਂ ਸਾਫ਼ ਕਰ ਦੇਵਾਂ ₹55 ਲੱਖ ਦੀ ਹੀ ਰਿਕਵਰੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ…ਜਦੋਂ ਵੀ… pic.twitter.com/QVs8xS9Miu
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) July 4, 2023
Punjab Police arrested Mukhtar Ansari for allegedly making an extortion call to a Mohali-based realtor for Rs 10 crore. Punjab Police brought Ansari from Bonda jail in UP, where he was lodged at the time, waiting for trial in MP/MLA court. Had he not been transferred to Punjab, the judgment in the pending case in MP/MLA fast-track court would have come in around three months, CM Mann claimed.
Meanwhile, UP Police approached the Punjab government 27 times to hand over Ansari to them, but it never happened. Later, UP Police approached Supreme Court to get custody of Ansari. CM Mann accused the previous government of hiring advocates at exorbitant rates to shield Ansari.
CM Mann said that his government would recover Rs 55 lakh from Captain Amarinder Singh and former Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. The money was to be paid as fees to senior lawyer Dushyant Dave who was hired to represent the Punjab government in the apex court against the transfer of Ansari back to Uttar Pradesh.
In a statement, Mann said he would not put pressure on the state treasury for the pending payment of Dave. Mann also accused the then-Congress government of giving VIP treatment to Ansari during his stay in jail in the state. Ansari was in Ropar jail from January 2019 to April 2021. He further claimed Ansari’s wife lived in a house on the backside of the jail during the time Ansari was lodged in Ropar jail.
