PNS/
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday announced that the party would appeal to the Punjab Governor to take action in the “Rs 500 crore AAP excise scam”, besides filing complaints with the CBI and ED into kickbacks received by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the liquor cartel in Punjab.
“There should be a free and fair inquiry against all political leaders including Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and MP Raghav Chadha as well as Punjab Government officials who facilitated the scam,” said Sukhbir.
Asserting that AAP had followed Delhi Model while framing Punjab excise policy, Sukhbir said: “Like in the State of Delhi, nearly the entire liquor trade was handed over to two companies...The profit margin of the two companies was doubled to facilitate a quid pro quo...Hundreds of crores have been passed back to the AAP Government in Punjab and the AAP high command in Delhi.”
Giving details, Sukhbir said that while framing the new excise policy, the Punjab Government had followed its AAP counterparts in Delhi. “It stipulated that each liquor manufacturing company would choose one licensee to sell its products in the State and that the L-1 licensee should not be a manufacturer in India or abroad. It also stated that L-1 licensees should have a turnover of least Rs 30 crore per annum and should not have any stake in the retail market in Punjab which took the Punjab liquor traders out of the race,” he pointed.
He added that in the case of Punjab, the profit margin of the licensee was also doubled from the earlier five per cent to 10 per cent.
“Now when a FIR has been registered in the Delhi excise scam, the same should be done in case of Punjab also. The policy and policy makers are the same. The modus operandi to loot the State exchequer is the same,” he alleged.