Punjab MLAs who rode bicycles now own luxury cars, says BJP chief Jakhar, calls for HC-supervised drug probe
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar has written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a probe under the supervision of the Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court into the drug money trail to track down the mighty and powerful beneficiaries of this menace in Punjab.
“Drug cartels in Punjab cannot thrive without some kind of patronage. The recovery of narcotics in Punjab amounts to several thousands of crores of rupees, which underlines the rot that exists. It cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence that the fortunes of so many Punjab politicians have changed in the last few years. MLAs who once rode cycles now own luxury cars worth crores. Many have farmhouses spread over acres,” he said.
The BJP chief also wrote that the flow of money must be established to catch the big fish and arrest the end beneficiaries, be they politicians across party lines or officials.
Without this, the government’s claim in its fight against drugs in Punjab remains a farce, he added.
Under the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign launched by the AAP government in Punjab three-and-a-half months back, more than 17,000 drug smugglers have been arrested, and large consignments of drugs have been seized.
“The flow of money has to be established to catch the big fish and arrest the end beneficiaries, be it politicians across party lines or officials. The drug cartels in Punjab cannot thrive without some or the other kind of patronage,” Jakhar said.
“This is important if your government wants to establish its credibility and resolve in its fight against drugs,” he added.
The BJP leader also claimed that MLAs who rode bicycles now own luxury cars worth crores of rupees. “Many have farmhouses spread over many acres. Since the quantum of money involved in the drug money trail is colossally huge, it reeks of money laundering, which can be probed by the Enforcement Directorate, or as deemed fit by the chief justice, since it could involve the high and mighty,” Jakhar said.
Ministers, MLAs, party presidents, party in-charges, and leaders of all hues should be part of the investigation, he added.
“As the state BJP president, I offer myself to be the first to be probed as a mark of my and my party’s sincerity and earnestness,” Jakhar said.
“Not just drug money trail, the probe should also include in its scope the trail of illicit money from mining and sand mafia so that the guilty can be brought to book,” he added.
Punjab