Chandigarh: The SAD on Wednesday urged Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit to recommend a CBI and ED probe into the alleged excise scam of the government in the state.
The SAD delegation led-by party president Sukbir Singh Badal asserted that the state’s revamped excise policy was akin to the Delhi policy since the same modus operandi was used to give control of the liquor trade to henchmen in return for kickbacks running into hundreds of crores. The SAD president apprised the governor that as in the Delhi case, the same set of conditions were introduced to oust Punjab liquor traders from the race by introducing a clause that the L-1 licensee should not be a manufacturer anywhere in India and abroad.
In its memorandum handed over to the governor, the SAD delegation stated that the chief minister and excise minister had violated the provisions of the Official Secrecy Act by making official files of the state available to Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and MP Raghav Chadha besides private persons. Sukhbir also told the governor that the Delhi chief secretary had in his report stated that the Delhi excise policy is a quid pro quo arrangement at the top level.
The memorandum mentioned that since the Punjab excise policy was a copy of the Delhi policy, the role of the Delhi deputy CM, MP Chadha, Punjab excise minister and other private persons should be probed. The Akali leadership said that this case also falls within the purview of the Prevention of Corruption Act and a case should be registered in this regard also.
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