Punjab govt will recover money spent on keeping Ansari in jail from Amarinder Singh, says Mann; ex-CM hits back

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said his government will recover the Rs 55 lakh spent on ensuring a ''cosy stay'' for gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Rupnagar jail during the previous Congress regime from the-then chief minister Amarinder Singh.

He added that Sukhjinder Randhawa, who held the prisons portfolio at the time, will also be held accountable.

If Singh, now with the BJP, and Congress MLA Randhawa do not pay, their pension and other facilities will be stopped, Mann said.

Responding to Mann's allegations, Singh ridiculed the AAP leader and asked him to learn the process of law and investigation before issuing statements that only expose his ignorance about governance.

Later, reacting to Singh's comment, Mann said he was protecting public money. ''You are calling me ignorant. Captain sahib, you were with the Mughals during the Mughal rule, the Britishers during British rule, the Congress during the Congress regime, the Akalis during the Akali regime, now with the BJP during the BJP regime…'' Mann said in a tweet.

Ansari was lodged 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 the Uttar Pradesh Police.

The apex court had noted that the custody was being denied to the Uttar Pradesh 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 Uttar Pradesh 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.'' He added, ''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.'' 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, Mann said, and added that those involved will have to pay for it.

The Punjab chief minister alleged that Singh and Randhawa, for reasons best known to them, extended largesse to Ansari to ensure a comfortable stay for him in jail.

Mann asked why the taxpayers' money should be wasted in such a way just because those in power at the time had a strong bond with Ansari. This is brazen loot of public money and it cannot be tolerated, he said.

In a statement later on Sunday, Singh asked Mann to ''learn and gain experience'' before making such ignorant statements on the state's governance. Ansari was brought to Punjab and detained under the due process of law for further investigation, Singh said and asked Mann where the chief minister or the jail minister came into the picture.

Stating that he served as Punjab chief minister for nine-and-a-half years while Mann has not even completed one-and-a-half years, Singh advised him to brush up his knowledge of legal and investigative processes before making such ''funny statements'' that will only end up in him cutting a sorry figure in public.

This is not the first time that Mann has attacked the previous Congress government over providing a ''comfortable stay'' to Ansari in jail.

In April, Mann said he refused to clear a file with a bill of Rs 55 lakh as fees for lawyers hired by the previous regime 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 that this ''hardcore criminal'' did not face any difficulty in jail, Mann had said.