Assets case: Akalis question Chahal's role

MANSA: Once the name of complainant in the First Information Report (FIR) against Parkash Singh Badal''s family in the corruption case was exposed, Akali party leaders of Mansa area are up in arms against the complainant -Balwant Singh of Dhalewan village of this district.
Balwant Singh is son of Sukhdev Singh who was a member of Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee.
Balwant Singh was nominated as director, Barren Land Development Corporation, on June 19 and he had made a complaint against Badal''s family members to the chief minister on June 24.
In a press conference at Mansa on Wednesday, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (B) leader Sukhwinder Singh Aulakh alleged that Balwant Singh was very close to Bharat Inder Chahal, the media advisor to the chief minister.
He said Chahal was instrumental in getting a complaint against Parkash Singh Badal and his family members though Balwant.
Sukhwinder Singh produced a number of documents relating to properties owned by Chahal to prove the proximity between the two.
The Akali leader alleged that Dalerwala in Mansa district was the ancestral village of Chahal where he had a number of properties which were under the possession of tillers for over last three decades.
It was Balwant Singh who was given a power of attorney by Chahal for the management of the land. Using this power of attorney, Balwant Singh transferred a major portion of these properties in the name of about 12 tillers through registered sale deeds on September 10, 16 and 27 last year.
Providing the photo copies of the registered sale deeds which showed that the properties were sold for about Rs 9 lakh, the Akali leader said that all this revealed proximity between Chahal and Balwant Singh.
He accused Chahal of recycling his ill-gotten money through Balwant Singh using his ancestral land in the area.
Sukhwinder Singh alleged that Balwant Singh was awarded with the directorship of a corporation as he agreed to complain against the Badal family.
A number of attempts to contact Chahal proved futile.