AAP’s Cheema writes to Scheduled Castes panel on ministers’ role in ‘scholarship scam’

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema, Saturday wrote a letter to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, demanding that Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Social Welfare Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot should be summoned before the commission and appropriate action taken against them for “embezzling” the scholarship money of two lakh Dalit students.

In his letter to Vijay Sampla, chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Cheema alleged that Captain Amarinder Singh and the ruling Congress government had misappropriated the scholarships for SC students. He stated that a big scam had taken place, due to which the lives of SC students of Punjab were being ruined.

Demanding action against Manpreet and Dharamsot, Cheema stated that the Punjab government had misused the scholarship money of the post-matric scholarship scheme through scam; due to which the roll numbers of more than two lakh Dalit students had been withheld by the private colleges of Punjab.

“The future of these students is in question due to non-receipt of scholarships. These students are deprived of their degrees because they belonged to the Dalit community,” he wrote. Cheema said that it was imperative to take stern action against the ministers who were depriving the SC students of their right to education and running away from their constitutional responsibility.

The AAP leader stated that Dalit children were already reaching higher education after enduring many hardships, but in such a scenario, their future being tarnished by the scams of the ministers was extremely worrying and reprehensible.

He alleged that CM Amarinder Singh was not taking any interest in the affairs of the state and he did not care about Dalit students. Cheema demanded to file a case and take appropriate action against the ministers, adding that it was imperative that this be done so that in future no one would dare to tamper with the future of Dalit children in this manner.