Chandigarh: Former Punjab deputy chief minister O P Soni, who appeared before the vigilance bureau in Amritsar, was quizzed for two hours in a disproportionate asset (DA) case on Tuesday.
A five-time MLA who was the deputy chief minister in previous Congress regime was earlier summoned on November 26, with the details of his moveable and immovable properties, though he expressed his inability to appear as he was out of station. He was subsequently asked to appear before it on Tuesday.
The VB is investigating a DA complaint against Soni and has prepared records pertaining to his assets and income from 2007 to 2022, though, senior Congress leader has held that he had declared every detail about his assets and income in his affidavits submitted to the Election Commission prior to assembly elections.
An MLA from Amritsar (central), Soni had held important positions including the portfolio of health minister and deputy chief minister during the previous Congress rule.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had recently given nod to the VB to investigate the alleged disproportionate assets which were beyond Soni’s known source of income following which the VB prepared a list of the same and begun the inquiry.
Soni told newspersons that the VB had asked him questions pertaining to his property and income and that he told them that he had declared the same in his election affidavits and the same were as he held them even today. According to media reports, Soni had declared assets worth Rs 1.94 crore in 2007 which reportedly grew to Rs 27.98 crore during 2022 assembly polls.
Meanwhile, senior superintendent of police (SSP), VB, Amritsar Varinder Singh said the VB has given Soni seven days time to fill up some proformas pertaining to details of his and his family members’ assets.
It may be recalled that Soni’s name had also figured in a case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the procurement of hand sanitisers in the recent past.
