Aren’t you ashamed, Amarinder Singh said in a statement to Arvind Kejriwal. (FILE)
Chandigarh:
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday hit back at his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal for the request for a CBI investigation into the state hooch tragedy, claiming the leader of the AAP should “mind its own business”.
Amarinder Singh further asked the Delhi chief minister “not to exploit the tragic affair of reviving the participation of his late Aam Aadmi party in the state”. In his tweet on Sunday, Kejriwal demanded a CBI investigation into the Punjab tragedy, which has left 98 people dead so far.
Hitting Mr. Kejriwal, the CM said in a statement: “So many people have died and all you care about is making political meat out of the incident. Have no shame.”
Asking the AAP chief to “mind his own business,” the Punjab CM said his Delhi counterpart should focus on maintaining law and order in his own state, which was “known for brazen way in which criminals and gangs roamed the streets fearlessly. “.
Ignoring Mr. Kejriwal’s claim that “none of the illegal alcohol cases in recent months have been solved by local police,” Punjab CM asked the AAP chief to verify his facts. ” before shooting through the mouth “.
Citing that an illicit alcohol factory was destroyed in Khanna on April 22, the CM said eight defendants had been arrested and a manhunt had been launched for seven others.
In another case, two mainstays of an illicit alcohol distillery operating in the Patiala district were arrested on May 22 and June 13 of this year, and on July 10, a challan was filed in court, said the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Expressing full confidence in the Punjab police, the CM said Mr. Kejriwal’s request for a CBI investigation was nothing more than a “political gimmick”, aimed at “getting back on track” for his party , which had “completely lost ground” in Punjab despite being the main opposition party.
The CM said that despite the cases of targeted killings in Punjab having been turned over to the CBI, it was ultimately the Punjab police who resolved the same issue.
Even in cases of sacrilege, the CBI has failed to deliver and it is the Punjab police who clarify the case, he said.
Rather than delay the investigation and let the trail cool down even in the present fake alcohol case by handing over the probe to CBI, he was more interested in securing swift action against all those whose greed had claimed their lives. state about 100, the CM said in the statement.
The CM asked Mr. Kejriwal to verify his facts before making “unsubstantiated and savage allegations” against his government, whose record in combating crime of all kinds was “exemplary”.
“Why not ask your Punjab unit first for data and figures and then comment on our work,” he told the Delhi CM.
Mr Singh also advised his Delhi counterpart to focus on the “horrific” COVID situation in his state.
“Rather than worrying about the affairs of the Punjab, why don’t you take care of the health and life of the Delhiites,” the CM said.
Claiming that strict action is being taken against all those found guilty in cases of illicit brewing and smuggling, Amarinder Singh also said that in the hooch tragedy, 30 people had already been arrested in three districts.
In addition, 13 police, excise and tax officials have been suspended for negligence while investigations are underway to determine their complicity in the case, he said.
A judicial inquiry had ordered with the warrant to submit its report within a month, he added, asking what it was necessary for CBI to take over the case as local police dealt with it so effectively.
