Opposition parties on Thursday condemned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for appointing a jail inmate, Kamikkar Singh Dhaddi, who was booked for abetting suicide, as the chairman of the Anandpur Sahib Market Committee.

Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira expressed shock over Dhaddi’s appointment. “Shocking that the Aam Aadmi Party which promised to cleanse politics of criminals couldn’t find a single clean person to be appointed Chairman Market Committee of historic Anandpur Sahib. Bhagwant Mann has appointed Kammikar Singh currently in jail under Section 306 abetment to suicide in FIR number 30 of 2023 at Kiratpur Sahib police station. Shame Arvind Kejriwal for promoting criminals in politics,” Khaira said in a tweet.

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The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) condemned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for appointing a jail inmate as chairman of the Anandpur Sahib Market Committee.

Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the CM should explain if the government was not aware of Kammikar’s case, especially considering his close proximity to Mann.

“The very fact that he ( Kamikkar Singh Dhaddia) has been appointed Chairman of a Market Committee despite being arrested after being accused of driving a person to commit suicide by jumping into the Bhakra canal speaks of his closeness to the chief minister. It also sends across a clear message that this anti-people and corrupt government does not care for the law of the land and will do as it wishes regardless of the consequences of its actions on civil society,” he added.

Majithia said the appointment of Kammikar was also damning proof that the AAP government was least interested in cleansing politics but instead was encouraging criminals which was responsible for the rapid deterioration of law and order in the State.

The SAD leader also expressed shock that the CM had appointed four chairmen to Improvement Trusts which had been dissolved in October last year. He said the government had dissolved nine Improvement Trusts by terming them as white elephants and a drain on the public exchequer.

He said out of these nine Trusts, the CM had now appointed four Chairmen for Trusts of Malerkotla, Macchiwara, Kartarpur and Nangal.