Punjab Cabinet minister Fauja Singh Sarari has landed in the eye of the storm after an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between him and a close aide discussing a plan to "trap" contractors – involved in transport of foodgrain – surfaced on the internet. Sarari, the minister for food processing and defence services welfare, has denied the charge. In the one-minute-40-second audio clip, Sarari and his OSD Tarsem Lal Kapoor are purportedly heard discussing ways to get some contractors involved in food grain transportation "trapped" with the help of government officials so that money could be demanded from them. In the clip, Sarari is purportedly heard talking about catching contractors when trucks are half loaded with foodgrains. He is purportedly heard saying that a part of the commission should go to district food and civil supplies controller and the truck driver shouldn't be arrested. Kapoor is purportedly heard saying that one DRO copy is needed which is issued 15 days before loading of the material and it is difficult to get that copy. The cabinet minister on Sunday, while questioning the authenticity of the audio, accused Kapoor of levelling false allegations against him. He claimed that Kapoor's nephew Johnny was booked and later arrested for misusing the national flag on his private car. Sarari said Kapoor wanted his help in getting Jonny releasing, but the since he denied assistance, he was being framed. “Everything can be edited and presented in a wrong way. The latest controversial audio too has been edited,” he had told reporters Sunday. Sources said, Sarari has lodged a complaint with Ferozepur SSP demanding an inquiry into the leaked audio clip. SSP Surinder Lamba, however, didn't confirm the report. It may be noted that in the absence of the minister in his constituency, Kapoor used to take care of the day-to-day works. On Monday, Sarari faced ire of hundreds of farmers belonging to Bharti Kisan Union (Dakonda) and ex-servicemen when he arrived at a state-level programme to mark the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi in Ferozepur. The protestors blocked his way and did not allow him to enter the Saragrhi Memorial. Sarari, however, was escorted out under tight police cover from another gate to the venue. He refused to respond to media queries while leaving the venue. A first-time MLA from Guru Har Sahai assembly constituency of Ferozepur district, Sarari was inducted into as a minister in July during Cabinet expansion carried out by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Sarari had retired as ASI from Bathinda in 2020 and joined AAP a few months later. With just six months of election campaign in Guru Har Sahai constituency, he managed to win the seat defeating SAD leader Vardev Singh Noni Mann by a margin of 10,574 votes. Sarari had joined Punjab Police in 1985 as a constable. While he did his graduation before joining the service, he completed his post-graduation from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, while in service in 2006. Sarari is from Rai Sikh community which comes under Scheduled Caste. This community has tremendous electoral impact in certain constituencies of Ferozepur, Muktsar and Fazilka districts. “Out of nearly 1.72 lakh voters in Guru Har Sahai, nearly 70,000 of them belong to Rai Sikh community. Perhaps his induction into the Punjab Cabinet is an effort to appease the Rai Sikh community,” said a Guru Har Sahai voter. Sarari had declared assets worth Rs 1.29 crore in election affidavit. Hailing from Rana Panjgrain village of Guru Har Sahai, he owns agriculture land and a house there, apart from a house on Multania Road in Bathinda. A father of three daughters, Sarari's youngest daughter is politically active. Local residents say she was actively engaged in his political campaigns before and after the elections.
