MOGA: Adamant against tendering his resignation till Tuesday evening, Punjab agriculture minister Tota Singh finally resigned from his post on Wednesday morning. Governor Shivraj Patil accepted the resignation after Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had forwarded it tohim for acceptance.
Earlier another Punjab minister Jagir Kaur had to resign in March after a CBI court sentenced her 5 years imprisonment.
Sources said the resignation was tendered after Badal visited Tota Singh’s Chandigarh residence on Wednesday morning.
Tota Singh talking to TOI said, “I have resigned on moral grounds and requested CM to accept it as party ( Shiromani Akali Dal) was facing flak over my resignation”.
Tota Singh further said, “I am a committed soldier of the party and never wanted to see the party being projected in bad light”.
Tota Singh said, “I had resigned on Saturday itself but CM might have kept the resignation pending.”
But while talking to TOI on Tuesday, Tota Singh had said “legally though I am not bound to resign but any decision will be taken only after having parleys with CM PS Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal”.
Tota Singh’ tendered his resignation four days after being sentenced to one year imprisonment by a Mohali court for misusing the official vehicle of the Punjab school education board while he was Punjab education minister from 1997 to 2002.
A case was registered in 2002 when Congress leader Amarinder Singh had formed the government in March 2002.
Tota singh on Tuesday filed appeal against the verdict in Punjab and Haryana high court.
Tota Singh was elected from Dharamkot assembly constituency in the 2012 assembly elections after Moga assembly constituency was kept for former Punjab DGP Paramdeep Singh Gill. Earlier Tota Singh had won from Moga in 1997.
News Source: Times of India
