CHANDIGARH: The Congress today demanded a probe into the Punjab excise policy on the pattern of Delhi government’s excise policy saying a Punjab government’s excise policy has destroyed the business of hundreds of local Punjabi liquor traders to oblige few outside favourites.
In a statement issued here today, Chairman All India Kisan Congress, Sukhpal Singh Khaira took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal for crying persecution over the CBI probe.
“It is an irony that while Kejriwal is crying wolf in Delhi and issuing clean chits to his ministers accused of corruption with irrefutable evidence, his government in Punjab is orchestrating a malicious and vengeful vendetta campaign in the state against political opponents on baseless allegations of corruption”.
The senior Congress leader said that there was a need for a similar probe into the excise policy in Punjab, which has been tailor-made to handover the entire liquor trade in the state to select few favourites for reasons best known to the AAP leadership.
The Bholath MLA pointed out, there were serious allegations of wrongdoings while finalizing the excise policy in Delhi and the issue came up during Punjab elections also. “Why is Delhi CM so afraid of the CBI probe?” he asked, while adding, similar tactics were used in Punjab also to oblige a particular group of people and handover them the entire liquor trade at the cost of local Punjabi liquor traders.
He said the new excise policy, which is influenced by some liquor giants with multinational interests, has ruined the business of hundreds of small-time local liquor traders in Punjab.
“The AAP is completely exposed, whether in Delhi or Punjab as the mask of honesty has already started wearing off”, Khaira said, while disclosing that his party will also seek a similar probe into the excise policy in Punjab that has been tailor-made to favour a select few at the cost of local traders.
