Chandigarh, June 14, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded the immediate arrest of Congress legislator Madan Lal Jalalpur for protecting and sheltering the main accused in the Ghanaur illegal distillery case for more than one month.
In a statement here, former minister and Kisan Wing President Sikander Singh Maluka said it was shocking that the Congress legislator deputed two Congressmen to accompany Khanpur Khurd sarpanch Amrik Singh when he went to surrender himself at the Shambhu police station yesterday.
“Another accused was shown to be arrested in nearby Banur indicating that the surrender of both the accused was planned by the Congress legislator after wiping out all evidence in the case”.
Mr Maluka said in such circumstances the only way left was the arrest of the Congress legislator. “Once Jalalpur is arrested he is likely to spill the beans in the case which is partly responsible for the Rs 5,600 crore revenue loss suffered by the excise department during the last three years”.
He said Jalalpur had openly admitted that the accused Amrik was his close aide and the fact that he had a role in ensuring the appointment of the former’s wife as a Zila Parishad member was also well known. “It is of paramount importance to find out where Amrik as well as other accused in the case were hidden to unravel the entire scam”.
The SAD leader said it was clear that Amrik as well as another accused Dipesh who was a confidante of another Congress legislators Hardyal Singh Kamboj, were mere pawns of the Congress legislators. “The factory was functioning unhindered for nearly one year. It did business in hundreds of crores during the lockdown. The gang operating the factory also indulged in cross-border liquor smuggling to Haryana.
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Despite all this, the State police is going soft on the issue because chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has not given clear cut directions to go after the Congress mlas because they belong to his home district. I appeal to the chief minister not to shield the legislators. This would be a great injustice to the State exchequer as well as people of the area who were being supplied slow poison in the name of liquor”.
Mr Maluka also reminded the chief minister that the culprits behind the Rs 5,600 crore excise revenue loss were yet to be identified and arrested. “Similarly no action has been taken against the family of Paramjit Singh Sarna, the Religious Advisor of the CM, which runs a distillery at Kiri Afghana in Gurdaspur district even though two truckloads of illegal liquor were found from its compound.
“Instead liquor contractors have been given a relief of Rs 673 crore. All this has sent a wrong message to the people that the Congress government is defending the liquor mafia because its leaders have a share in the sale and smuggling of illicit liquor.
It is incumbent on the Gandhi family including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to clear the air and tell if the two legislators had their blessings. As far as the chief minister is concerned, if he is helpless in front of the liquor mafia he should order an independent probe into the case by the CBI or a sitting judge of the high court”.
