Excise policy scam: Extend CBI probe to Punjab, demands Shiromani Akali Dal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 27

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today demanded that the CBI inquiry into the Delhi excise scam be extended to Punjab, asserting that the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, was also the architect of the Punjab’s new excise policy, which had caused losses of hundreds of crores to the state exchequer.

Majithia said, “The actors and directors of the Punjab excise policy are the same as in the case of Delhi. The CBI should probe the role of senior officers and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) politicians who had colluded with each other to give huge benefits to select liquor manufacturers like Deep Malhotra at the cost of the state exchequer.”

Majithia said the entire liquor trade had been handed over to two companies and their profit margin had been doubled to facilitate a quid pro quo. “Hundreds of crores have been passed back to the AAP government in Punjab and AAP high command in Delhi. It is this ill-gotten money from the liquor as well as the sand mining mafia which is being used by AAP to fulfill Arvind Kejriwal’s national electoral dreams.”

Asking AAP not to adopt double standards on corruption, Majithia said, “AAP considers corruption by its leaders as good corruption, but if done by anyone else it becomes bad corruption.” He said Kejriwal had also become adept at issuing character certificates, be it in the case of Satyendra Jain who was accused of accepting bribes from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as Jails Minister or in the latest case of Sisodia.

“Why doesn’t Kejriwal let the investigating agencies and courts do their jobs? Why is he coming in the way of the judicial process by sponsoring protests to defend corruption? It is obvious he feels the trail may lead to him.”

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#bikram majithia #Central Bureau of Investigation CBI #manish sisodia #shiromani akali dal