Congress leader and Punjab's former Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni has been arrested in a disproportionate assets case by the state Vigilance Department. Mr Soni was arrested from Chandigarh, and now he is being taken to Amritsar, where he will be produced in court tomorrow.
A spokesperson of the department said there was a disproportionate increase in assets of the former minister between 2016 and 2022 --
when the Congress was in power in the state.
An inquiry was ordered in this matter on October 10, 2022.
Sources in the investigative agency said between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy Chief Minister and his family was 4.5 crores, while he spent 12.5 crores.
In this period, OP Soni also created property in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni.
A First Information Report has been registered under Sections 13 (1) (b) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act following investigations, a spokesperson of the agency said in Chandigarh.
The arrest of the Congress leader comes amid the anti-corruption campaign launched by Aam Aadmi Party Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
It is likely to add to the rift between AAP and the Congress at a time the opposition is trying to stitch up a common front to take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections.
After Mr Soni's arrest, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Warring tweeted:
Arrest of former Deputy CM OP Soni ji is yet another attempt by @BhagwantMann to deviate public attention from real issues. Vendetta politics has never yielded any output & this will be another such incident.
— Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) July 9, 2023
OP Soni is a five-time MLA from Amritsar who lost the seat last year, when AAP swept the election. In 2021, Captain Amarinder Singh was removed and Charanjit Singh Channi was made the Chief Minister, while OP Soni was made the Deputy Chief Minister.