"OUR INTENTION IS PURE, AND WE ARE OPEN TO INVESTIGATION BY ANY COMMITTEE," AMAN ARORA DARES BAJWA, •ADVISES CONGRESS TO SET ITS OWN HOUSE IN ORDER, • AMAN ARORA REAFFIRMS PUNJAB GOVT’S COMMITMENT TO ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES 

Training guns at the Congress on the issue of corruption, Cabinet Minister and president of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab Mr. Aman Arora advised the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa to set its own house in order before pointing fingers at others. 

The Cabinet Minister was referring to the news report appeared in the prominent English Daily Newspaper on Tuesday in which Retired Officer of the Enforcement Directorate has written a letter to Union Finance Minister alleging that he was not allowed to continue investigation in 2020 Tarn Taran illicit liquor case— which took lives of 130 people— after his investigation found involvement of at least 10 Congress MLAs in previous regime, a minister and some men from the coterie of then Chief Minister. 

"This is a classic example of 'the pot calling the kettle black'," said Mr. Aman Arora, while daring the LoP, "Our intention is pure, and we are open to investigation by any committee." 

Mr. Aman Arora was replying to the issue raised by the LoP, in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during zero hour, who cited a complaint registered with the Vigilance Bureau. 

While reinforcing the Punjab Government's unwavering stance against corruption, he emphatically stated that the current state government will not tolerate corruption in any form, irrespective of the political affiliations of those involved. 

Mr. Arora cautioned political leaders against making baseless allegations without substantial evidence; as such actions erode public trust in the entire political class. He said that such allegations should not be made merely for the sake of opposition. The people lose faith in the political system when accusations are made without credible evidence. 

Cabinet Minister Aman Arora assured that the complaint received by the Vigilance Bureau would be acted upon based on the report prepared by the Bureau. He refuted objections of the LoP regarding the Vigilance Bureau's jurisdiction under the state government. He asserted that adopting double standards by raising issues based on the Vigilance case while simultaneously casting doubt on the Vigilance Bureau's integrity is unacceptable. 

He emphasised, “We support the formation of any assembly committee to probe corruption cases and also advocate for the establishment of such committees to investigate past corruption incidents."

Cabinet Minister Aman Arora also highlighted an exemplary instance of integrity demonstrated by Power and Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. He recounted an incident where Minister ETO facilitated the completion of pending work for a sheller owner. In appreciation, the sheller owner offered a box of sweets and a bag of rice to Minister ETO. Minister ETO, however, graciously declined the rice, suggesting it be given to someone in need. 

Furthermore, upon discovering that someone had taken bribe of Rs 7 lakh from the sheller owner for the related work, Minister ETO instructed the district SSP to ensure the immediate return of the money. Minister ETO warned that failure to return the money would result in a formal case being registered against the perpetrator.