India Narrative

  Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has claimed that his income during the five years of Congress rule in the state has declined in comparison to his earnings before 2017,  in an affidavit on his assets and liabilities filed with the Election Commission for the February 20 polls. Channi, who is contesting from Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur seats has declared assets worth Rs 9.44 crore with an annual income of Rs 27.8 lakh. But in the affidavit filed for the 2017 elections, his annual income in 2015-16 was stated at Rs 1.46 crore which is more than five times higher than his income in 2020-21. His wife Dr. Kamaljit Kaur earned Rs 26 lakhs during the same period. Channi has declared Rs 1.5 lakh cash in hand and his wife has Rs 50000 cash in hand. Sukhbir  Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal contesting from Jalalabad has declared assets worth Rs 122.77 crore including Rs. 71.56 crores owned by his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, former Union Minister. In 2020-21 Sukhbir earned Rs 2 crore

  The fight for the chief minister’s post between Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Channi came to the centrestage during senior leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state on Thursday to kick off the party’s poll campaign. On the stage set in Jalandhar for the launching of the virtual campaign rally, in the presence of the senior leadership, the PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Channi urged Rahul to declare the CM candidate of the Congress before the elections. Rahul who had come to launch the campaign by outlining the party’s  programme if it comes to power in the state, ended up mostly talking about the need to unitedly fight the election. He was also made to announce that very soon the Congress will declare its Chief Ministerial candidate be it Sidhu or Channi. Sunil Jakhar's name was not mentioned although until now the party had been saying that the election will be fought under the joint leadership of Sidhu, Chan

  The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims to have unearthed dubious transactions to the tune of Rs 68 crore between Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey and his associates. The investigative agency has also seized an unaccounted amount of Rs 10 crore in hard cash, gold worth Rs 21 lakh and a Rolex watch valued at Rs 12 lakh in the raid carried out on Honey’s premises. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken into possession papers and computers which show that the dubious transactions have taken place. Documents pertaining to investments in real estate are also being scrutinised. According to sources, in the coming days, ED may zero in on a cabinet minister who faced allegations of patronising the mining mafia when he held the mining portfolio in the Captain Amarinder Singh government. At least two sitting MLAs are also under the ED scanner. There is palpable tension in the Channi cabinet as ED is expanding its net every day. The mining co