Chandigarh(Sandeep)Former Punjab Minister and Hockey Olympian MLA Pargat Singh levels grave charges, saying the Aam Aadmi Party government systematically weaponised every department, from sand mining to transfers, into a structured revenue stream for those in power.When the Aam Aadmi Party swept Punjab in March 2022 with a historic mandate, it carried the hopes of a state exhausted by decades of dynastic misrule. Four years later, one of its own prominent faces, Pargat Singh, two-time Hockey Olympian, former minister and MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment, is ringing the alarm bell in the starkest possible terms.
“What has unfolded in Punjab over the last four years is not ordinary corruption,” Singh told this correspondent. “It is an organised syndicate, structured, top-down, and calculated. Every department, every posting, every tender became a node in a network designed to extract money from the people of Punjab.”The charges are sweeping. Singh alleges that illegal sand mining rackets long a source of criminal wealth in Punjab continued with full official patronage, with proceeds flowing upward through the party hierarchy. Government transfers and postings of IAS, IPS and Punjab Civil Services officers, he claims, were openly monetised, with rates allegedly fixed for preferred postings.Every department, every posting, every tender became a node in a network
Every department, every posting, every tender became a node in a network designed to extract money from the people of Punjab.”
— Pargat Singh, MLA, Jalandhar Cantonment & Former Punjab Minister
The flagship AAP promise of mohalla clinics and free electricity, Singh argues, became cover for inflated procurement contracts and kickbacks in supply chains. “The poor were given freebies with one hand, and their future was being stolen with the other,” he said.Singh, who represented India in two Olympic Games and was considered a symbol of probity when he joined politics, says his disillusionment came gradually and then all at once. “I have been inside. I have seen how decisions were made, and by whom, and for whom. The people of Punjab deserve to know the truth.”
Key Allegations at a Glance
Sand mining:
Illegal mining allegedly continued under political cover with revenue channelled to party operatives. ·
Transfer postings:
Officer postings reportedly monetised at fixed rates. ·
Procurement fraud:
Inflated tenders in health and power sectors. ·
Revenue extortion:
Businesses and contractors allegedly compelled to pay ‘party tax’ for operating licences.The AAP government in Punjab has denied all allegations of systemic corruption. In previous statements, party leaders have called such charges politically motivated and said all government schemes follow due process. The Tribune has sought an official response from the Punjab government; no reply was received at the time of publication.Political observers note that Pargat Singh’s voice carries unusual weight precisely because he was an insider. Unlike opposition critics, he sat at the table. His testimony, if borne out, would represent one of the most damaging indictments of a ruling party government from its own ranks in Punjab’s post-2000 political history.”I wore the colours of India for twenty years on the hockey field,” Singh said. “I know what it means to play for something larger than yourself. The people of Punjab gave AAP their trust and that trust was betrayed, systematically, for four years. I will not stay silent about it.”