Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday ridiculed Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal gifting Rs 12 crore to his wife and union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and demanded that both should immediately make their assets public and explain how they have amassed such huge wealth over the years.AAP leader said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal often claim to have entered into politics as a modest farmer with possession of ancestral agriculture land. However people of Punjab are wondering how a modest farmer and his family have been able to build such a huge business empire while being in public service all these years.Shergill was referring to the news item appeared in an English national daily that Sukhbir Badal has gifted Rs 12 crore to Harsimrat Badal making her the only minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi' government whose increase in percentage of assets has been the biggest among her colleagues.
Shergill said the aforesaid fact came to the fore when Harsimrat Badal made mandatory declaration to the Prime Minister Office, in which she stated that her husband has ‘gifted’ her shares worth nearly Rs 12 crore of Orbit Resort based at Gurgaon.Terming the ‘gift’ as a tool to convert his (Sukhbir Badal) black money into white, AAP leader said the 'gift' has led to her assets doubling from Rs 12.81 crore to Rs 23.93 crore and this is the biggest percentage rise in assets of any minister in the Modi government recorded in a year.Shergill said at a time when Punjab farmers were committing suicides, government employees were not getting their monthly salaries and Punjab government is reeling under financial crisis Sukhbir had the audacity and wherewithal to gift Rs. 12 crore to his wife Harsimrat. Is it not a cruel joke with the people of Punjab, questioned Shergill.“This gift is just a tip of the iceberg of Sukhbir’s wealth as he holds several other business interests such as Transport, Cable, hotels which has a clear conflict of interest by his being the deputy chief minister of Punjab. Shergill said the report revealed both Sukhbir and Harsimrat are directors in Orbit Resorts, the company whose 4.39 lakh shares were gifted by Sukhbir to his wife.