After Kejriwal, could Punjab govt be next? ED watch on its MLA, excise officials, AAP fears worst

The three Punjab officials who had been questioned by the ED over the state’s excise policy were then Finance Commissioner (Excise) K A P Sinha, and Varun Roojam and Naresh Dubey, the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners, respectively, of the Excise and Taxation Department. All three officials were involved in the framing of the state’s excise policy in 2022.

Incidentally, promoters of two companies which got wholesale licences (L1) to sell liquor in the state under the policy are named as accused in the Delhi excise policy case.

The ED had also alleged that Roojam and Dubey were present at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also under arrest in the Delhi excise case, when the Punjab policy was framed. The ED had conducted search and seizure operations at the residences of Roojam and Dubey.

Last year, the CBI had also sought sanction from the state government to pursue action against the two officials, under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The government had, however, not responded.

Sinha is now the Finance Commissioner (Development).

Sources in the AAP government said the fear is that the officials may turn approvers, leaving the politicians sitting ducks for the ED.

A government functionary said, “Our policy is a hit, and we have earned crores of ruppes. But we don’t know how the Centre will behave. The ED is closing in, having already raided an AAP MLA associated with liquor vends in Punjab… The chatter in the Secretariat corridors is that no one knows what’s going to happen next.”

Jakhar said Friday that Punjab officials could take a lesson from Kejriwal’s arrest, and that he would urge the ED to protect “honest officials who have been coerced into signing on a flawed policy document”.

Jakhar added, “The AAP has defrauded people of Punjab of thousands of crores through a conspiracy called the Punjab Excise Policy.” He also targeted AAP MP Raghav Chadha, the party’s Punjab in-charge and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing the latter of allowing the “open loot and plunder of the state”.

Jakhar also wondered why Chadha was abroad for “eye treatment”, when there were adequate medical facilities in India.

Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also attacked the AAP, saying: “After the arrest of self-proclaimed Kattar Imandaar @ArvindKejriwal in the Delhi liquor scam, the time has come to arrest all those who looted the Punjab treasury by effecting the same scam in Punjab. The liquor excise policy of Punjab was patterned on the Delhi policy by the same persons and with the same beneficiaries.”