'Let CBI probe Amritsar hooch tragedy'
Chandigarh, May 20 -- A Punjab BJP delegation, led by party's state chief Sunil Jakhar, on Monday met governor Gulab Chand Kataria, pressing that the CBI probe into the Delhi excise policy case must also cover the Amritsar hooch tragedy, drawing condemnation from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Malvinder Singh Kang who accused Jakhar of using the deaths caused by spurious liquor in Majitha for political gain.
The BJP delegation submitted a memorandum that also sought a probe into links of "AAP's Punjab leadership with liquor mafia running amok in the state".
The delegation said the Enforcement Directorate must be asked to undertake a thorough probe to expose this "nexus". Terming it as an avoidable tragedy, the delegation said that the quotas distributed under the liquor policy introduced by AAP in Punjab on lines of Delhi excise policy must also be probed to ascertain who got the "illegal benefits and to what extent".
A probe into the quantum of foreign liquor quota permitted and lifted by liquor contractors of Punjab each year since July 2022 has also been sought. "The Narcotics Control Bureau must also be roped in to ascertain illegal proceeds and the ambit of this CBI inquiry must be widened to include Amritsar hooch tragedy," Jakhar added.
Meanwhile, AAP MP Kang alleged, "Jakhar is resorting to such tactics to establish himself within the BJP as his position seems fragile. It is the central government's responsibility to regulate the supply of methanol, which is a national concern," he added. The hooch tragedy had left over 20 people dead....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.