AAP MLA arrested in bribery case; Mann says no mercy for those who gobble up people’s money

While being taken to court, Kotfatta said, “I am party’s loyal soldier and I fully trust the judiciary”. Stating that law is equal for all, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the AAP has come to power in Punjab with a promise to root out corruption and is not willing to do any compromise on that front..

“Bribery by anyone, in anyway, will not be tolerated. Faith, love, and expectations of the people of Punjab keep my spirits up. There will not be any mercy for those gobble up people’s money. Law is equal for all,” Mann said in tweeted in Punjabi, without naming Kotfatta.

Later, AAP chief spokesperson in Punjab, Malwinder Singh Kang, added that Mann has zero tolerance for corruption. “CM Mann is undoubtedly a man on mission but not on commission unlike his predecessors, with zero tolerance for corruption. CM has given a free hand to Vigilance to curb the menace of the corruption,” Kang tweeted.

Asked if party MLA’s arrest in bribery case has come as an embarrassment for the ruling AAP, Kang said his party was proud to take a tough stand against corruption. “Why should we feel embarrassed? We don’t spare anyone, whosoever he or she may be. Such actions send a larger message that corruption of any type will not be tolerated,” he added. Garg was arrested on February 16 following a complaint lodged by the Pritpal Kumar, the husband of Ghudda village (Bathinda) sarpanch Seema Ran, who had alleged that the accused was demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in lieu of releasing a government grant of Rs 25 lakh. Garg was caught with Rs 4 lakh cash by a team of the Vigilance Bureau outside Circuit House in Bathinda.

Kumar, in a police complaint, had said when he went to hand over Rs 4 lakh to Garg at Circuit House, the MLA was also present there. A two-minute audio of the purported conversation between Kumar, Kotfatta, and Garg in which money was allegedly being sought by the MLA had gone viral on social media. The day Garg was arrested, Kotfatta had denied having any association with him.

Kumar, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction over vigilance action. “I am satisfied with the ongoing probe. I had gathered enough proof against the MLA and his aide based on which the VB investigated and arrested both,” said Kumar.

Opposition parties had been demanding that Kotfatta be arrested. On Thursday, Congress’s Harwinder Singh Laddi, who had contested 2022 Assembly polls unsuccessfully against Kotfatta, had planned a protest outside the vigilance bureau office in Bathinda.

Reacting to the development, opposition Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the arrest of the AAP MLA was “too little and too late”. He said the MLA should have been arrested earlier after the vigilance bureau action.

Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa said with the arrest of the AAP MLA, the stand of his party has been vindicated.

“This is the third AAP MLA in less than a year who has been charged with corruption charges. Is this the ‘badlav’ (change) Mann and Arvind Kejriwal promised to the people of Punjab?” asked Bajwa.

Bajwa further said it was because of pressure from the Congress, the AAP government arrested Kotfatta.

Bajwa tweeted, “In coming time, more MLAs and a few ministers of AAP who are indulging in corruption will be exposed before the public.”

Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma alleged the ruling AAP had tried to save its MLA despite him being exposed in the corruption case.

But because of pressure by the BJP and others, the state government was forced to arrest Kotfatta, he added.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that though it was good that the government woke up to arrest Kotfatta, why couldn’t it act on the same day his close aide was arrested. “There was widespread criticism from masses who were demanding action against the MLA. Moreover, the Budget session is drawing near in which they had expected the Opposition’s protests. Fearing that, they were left with no choice but to arrest Kotfatta. As videos, audios related to this corruption case had come, the AAP couldn’t make any excuse to save Kotfatta,” he said.

Warring said that the arrest happened due to intense pressure of the Opposition and the people of Punjab. “Now I want to ask what action they are going to take against Sarari who has been left scot-free even though there is enough proof against him?” he asked.

The BJP took a dig at the AAP saying that the Mann government is getting popular in the state due to corruption. “First cabinet minister Singla, then cabinet minister Sarari and now MLA Kotfatta…all such incidents show that so called Kattar Imaandar party is Kattar Beiamaan.

Their wickets are falling one by one. They tried hard to save Kotfatta but the audios and videos which went viral proved that bribe was taken by the MLA through his PA. The AAP has been unmasked before masses and their real face of corruption has become visible before the people,” said BJP state spokesperson Anil Sarin.

Kotfatta is the third ruling party MLA to be named in a corruption case within a year of the AAP forming the government.

Last year in May, Mann had sacked Dr Vijay Singla from the post of health and family welfare minister on charges of corruption.

The CM had then taken to social media to state that Singla was seeking 1 per cent commission on the tenders being allotted for various works of department and the proof of the same was obtained following an audio conversation of the minister, which never came out in public but was with the CM only. Singla was arrested soon after and later secured bail from the High Court in July first week. Singla continues to be an MLA.

In September, an audio conversation between Cabinet minister Fauja Singh Sarari and his PA Tarsem Lal Kapoor went viral in which former was allegedly heard making plans to extort food grain transporters. Sarari, however, had stated that it wasn’t his voice. After remaining low profile for a few months, Sarari stepped down as minister on his own in January saying that he had done it due to personal reasons. A day after the 1.40 minute long audio had gone viral in September 2022, Sarari stated that everything can be edited and presented in a wrong way.