Chandigarh, June 28
Punjab minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday accused the previous Congress government of providing “VIP treatment” to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari while he was lodged in the state’s Rupnagar jail, leading to the loss of his and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa. There was a heated argument in between. ,
Mines and Geology and Jail Minister Bains was speaking during the ongoing budget session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly here.
They alleged that Ansari was kept in Rupnagar jail for two years and three months after a “fake” FIR was registered against him.
“He (Ansari) was given VIP treatment and his wife stayed with him. They were given five-star facilities,” the minister told the House.
“It is a serious issue. I am a jail minister and a case came before me in which gangster Mukhtar Ansari was kept in jail for two years and three months in Rupnagar jail.
The minister said the Uttar Pradesh government had to move the Supreme Court to take Ansari into custody.
He further said that senior lawyers were engaged by the then state government to “save” Ansari and the fee for a lawyer to appear in the case was Rs 11 lakh.
He also claimed a bill of Rs 55 lakh for the fees of advocates.
“Why should we pay a bill of Rs 55 lakh to have a gangster? I have ordered registration of FIR in the matter.
However, Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA Pratap Singh Bajwa objected to the issue being raised during the budget discussion.
Bajwa asks Bains to prove that Ansari’s wife is in jail. “Can you prove that his (Ansari) wife was in jail? If you cannot prove it, you will have to resign,” he told Bains.
The Congress leader also asked the speaker, “Should we deviate from the budget discussion?”
“Then we should speak on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in which jail he was kept and under whom does Tihar Jail come under?” He is taking it to the Treasury benches, he said.
Mukhtar Ansari was handed over his custody to the Uttar Pradesh Police in April last year to shift him to Banda jail. Ansari was lodged in Punjab’s Rupnagar jail, where he was lodged in an extortion case since January 2019.
The Supreme Court had directed the Punjab government to hand over Ansari’s custody to the Uttar Pradesh Police, saying it was being denied on frivolous grounds under the guise of medical issues.