Include all MLAs, ministers in drug probe: Jakhar to CM

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Monday called for a high court-monitored investigation into the drug money trail to identify the powerful beneficiaries behind it. In a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar said if the Punjab Government was serious about uprooting the drug mafia, it must act against leaders across party lines.

“Ministers, MLAs, party presidents and leaders of all affiliations should be included in the probe,” Jakhar said, adding that he would be the first to volunteer for scrutiny.

He said, “Legislators who used to come on cycles, now own luxury cars worth crores. Many have several acres of farmhouses. Since the quantum of money involved in drug trail is huge, it reeks of money laundering, which can be probed by the Enforcement Directorate, or as deemed fit by the Chief Justice.”

Merely filing income tax return by MLAs and others is not enough. There is a clear mismatch between their claims and the ground reality,” he pointed out.

He urged Mann to seek the intervention of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu for marking a time-bound probe by a credible agency.

Jakhar said the seizure of narcotics in Punjab goes into several thousands of crores, which underlies the rot that exists.

“At the same time, fortunes of many politicians have turned in the last few years. This raises a lot of stench and suspicion on the source of funding. Even the money minted through sand mafia needs to be probed,” Punjab BJP chief said.

Punjab