Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said his government will recover the Rs 55 lakh spent on the “cosy stay” of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Rupnagar jail during the previous Congress government from former chief minister Amarinder Singh and jail minister Sukhjinder Randhawa.
If the money is not paid by Singh, who is now a BJP leader, and Randhawa, a Congress MLA, then their pension and other facilities will be stopped, Mann said.
Responding to his allegations, Singh ridiculed Mann and asked him to learn the process of law and investigation before issuing such statements that only expose his ignorance about state governance.
Ansari was in Rupnagar jail from January 2019 to April 2021 in an extortion case registered in Mohali before the Supreme Court directed the Punjab government to give custody of the gangster-turned-politician to Uttar Pradesh Police.
The apex court had also noted that the custody was being denied to the UP Police on trivial grounds under the guise of medical issues. Ansari was later moved to a jail in Banda in Uttar Pradesh.
In a tweet on Sunday, Mann said, "A (legal) fee of Rs 55 lakh for keeping UP gangster (Mukhtar) Ansari in a Punjab jail and fighting his case in the Supreme Court to fulfil friendship will not be paid from the Punjab treasury."
"This money will be recovered from the then home minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the then jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. In case of non-payment, their pension and other government facilities will be cancelled," he said.
Later, in a statement, Mann said, “The state government will not pay Rs 55 lakh spent on the cosy stay of dreaded criminal Mukhtar Ansari in the jail.”
“This was a serious crime against the state and its people,” said Mann, adding that those involved in it will have to pay for it.
Mann alleged that for reasons best known to them, both Singh and Randhawa extended “largesse” to the notorious gangster for his “comfortable stay” in the jail of Punjab.
“Why should the state waste taxpayer's money in this way just because those in power at that time had strong a bond with Ansari? This is brazen loot of the public money which cannot be tolerated,” he said.
Singh, in a statement on Sunday, asked him to "learn and gain experience" before making such “ignorant” statements on the state's governance.
“Ansari was brought to Punjab and detained here under the due process of law for further investigation. Where does the Chief Minister or the jail minister come into the picture?” the former chief minister asked Mann.
Stating that he served as Punjab chief minister for nine-and-a-half years whereas Mann has not yet completed even one-and-a-half years, Singh advised Mann to brush up his knowledge of legal and investigative processes before making such "funny statements" that would only end up in his cutting a sorry figure in the public.
However, this is not the first time that Mann attacked the previous Congress government in the state over providing a "comfortable stay" to Ansari when he was in jail.
In April, Mann said he refused to clear a file with a bill of Rs 55 lakh as fees of the expensive lawyers hired by the previous government to defend Ansari in the case. He also spoke about recovering the money from the then ministers.
Apart from ensuring a comfortable stay, the then government had ensured this "hardcore criminal" does not face any difficulty in jail and escaped the legal action against him, Mann had said.
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