Says cover up exercise also being done in case of liquor seizure of Chadha distillery and bust of illegal distillery cum bottling plant of frontmen of two Cong MLAs
Condemns notice given to senior journalist Manish Sirhindi for exposing liquor mafia
Chandigarh, June 08, 2020: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today took serious note of the manner in which the Congress government was sweeping the Rs 5,600 crore liquor scam under the carpet besides failing to take action against distillery owners and Congressmen who were indulging in liquor smuggling and illegal production and bottling of liquor.
Addressing the media here, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said government after going completely silent on the Rs 5,600 crore liquor scam, was now trying to cover up two serious cases involving smuggling of liquor from a distillery owned by the family of the Religious Advisor to the chief minister as well as illegal production and bottling of liquor by frontmen of two Congress legislators – Madan Lal Jalalpur and Hardyal Singh Kamboj.
Dr Cheema said as per his information, the police department was yet to register a case against anyone in the seizure of two truckloads of liquor of Chaddha distillery from its adjoining sugar mill. He said the police and excise department were passing the buck to each other in order to dilute the case and allow the distillery management to go scot free. He said similarly in the case of the bust of the illegal distillery at Rajpura the State police and the excise department were yet to summon both Congress legislators Jalalpur and Kamboj for questioning.
The SAD leader said instead of taking action against the Congress leaders it was condemnable that senior journalist Manish Sirhindi had been served a notice by the Punjab Excise deptt and told to disclose the source of his information against the liquor mafia. He said the Congress government had earlier tried to threaten journalist Jai Singh Chhibber in a similar fashion and now other journalists who were writing about the misdeeds of its legislators and leaders were also being browbeaten. “The SAD condemns this attack on the freedom of the press and will stand with journalists to ensure they are not victimized in any fashion”, Dr Cheema added