A week after being embroiled in the #MeToo storm for sending an inappropriate message to a woman IAS officer, Punjab Technical Education Minister Charanjit Channi in an exclusive interview on Tuesday said political colour had been given to the issue.
Speaking on camera, Channi alleged that the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal was unnecessarily blowing things out of proportion as he had been speaking of taking action on issues of sacrilege and Dalits.
He said one message was unintentionally forwarded and he had already apologised to the woman officer and the Chief Minister was aware of it.
The message was neither vulgar nor bad, he said.
“Except for calling up the officer once or twice for official work, I have never called or approached her. A lot of wrong conjectures and incorrect facts are being added to the story,” he said.
He said the Chief Minister was aware of it and had already issued a statement.
“First of all, there is no complaint for reasons best known to vested interests. I would meet the Chief Minister once he is back from abroad,” he said.
He said that in the last Cabinet meeting on October 17, he had strongly spoken against the government’s delay in acting against those involved in the Bargari sacrilege incidents, so a section of the Cabinet ministers loyal to the Chief Minister were “gunning for him”.
The minister had courted a controversy a few months ago when he had raised the issue of SC candidates not being adjusted in the appointment of law officers.
He has been regularly raising the issue of Dalits not being given due representation in the Cabinet and other political appointments and had even met Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with other disgruntled leaders.
