Punjab Cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh

Chandigarh: Punjab Cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who has been under fire from the opposition for his alleged involvement in sand mining auctions, has submitted his resignation as power and irrigation minister to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

“I have given my resignation from the ministry to the Captain Sahib. I gave my resignation personally to the chief minister a week back,” he said today. Rana Gurjit Singh, who is an MLA from Kapurthala, has been handling the power and irrigation portfolios.

When asked why he gave his resignation, he said that the opposition was trying to corner the chief minister by making false allegations against him and was demanding his resignation. “I have now tendered my resignation,” Rana Gurjit Singh said.

However, there is no official confirmation of the acceptance of his resignation. The opposition, especially AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, was demanding Rana Gurjit Singh’s resignation from the chief minister after the cabinet minister’s name had last year allegedly figured in the sand mining auctions.

The state government had then formed the Justice J S Narang Commission following allegations involving Rana Gurjit Singh in the sand mining auctions conducted by the mining department in May last year. The commission was mandated to probe all aspects of the allegations of impropriety against the irrigation and power minister in the multi-crore sand mining auctions.

The minister had claimed that there was no wrongdoing in the auctions. This year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had reportedly issued summons for January 17 to Rana Inder Partap Singh, son of minister Rana Gurjit Singh, in connection with the raising of funds abroad by floating global depository receipts for one of the family-owned companies allegedly without the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India.

“Opposition again made hue and cry that ED had issued summons. Though, I am not looking after the business, the reply will be given to them (ED),” said Rana Gurjit Singh, who has been considered close to the chief minister.