Chandigarh: Armed with ``sand mafia’’ accusations against Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, all the political rivals have come to all guns blazing at him after the January 18 Enforcement Directorate raids at the premises of his nephew and others in connection with illegal sand mining business in which about Rs 10 crore was recovered.
On Monday, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation led by Punjab election co-in-charge and Delhi legislator Raghav Chadha submitted a memorandum to Punjab governor Banwari Purohit seeking his immediate intervention in what he termed as a multi-layered illegal sand mining racket in Punjab.
Three days ago, former revenue minister and firebrand Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia showed at a press conference, what he claimed to be evidence, - videos, photographs, and other material – to allege that Channi’s involvement in the illegal mining business.
Also accusing Channi of protecting people involved in the said illegal business, Majithia alleged that the said video clipping showed that Channi had approved mining from protected forest land as the latter had with him the mining and environment portfolio too.
Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also alleged in a social media interaction earlier that the Enforcement Directorate seizure from Channi’s kin was a follow-up on the case that the agency had registered after he had ordered an inquiry while he was heading the state government till a few months ago.
``Unfortunately, he had been unable to take any serious action against the Congress MLAs who were involved in illegal mining in the state as that would have damaged the party’s interests and Sonia Gandhi had failed to respond to his query on which minister or MLA she wanted him to sack over the issue’’, he said.
The BJP state chief Ashwani Sharma too alleged that illegal mining mafias were operating in the state under the patronage of senior Congress leaders.
First to take on Channi after January 18 raids was AAP national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who had called Channi a dishonest man and had also linked Channi with the illegal business.
Channi who reacted sharply against the charges even threatened to sue Kejriwal for defamation. He said Kejriwal had crossed all limits on social media showing him with currency notes which were not recovered from him.
Channi also rebuked Majithia’s allegations saying that these were baseless and frivolous.
Channi went on to accuse Majithia of taking revenge for booking him in a drug case last month by his government. It is pertinent to note here that Majithia was booked by the Channi government for his alleged involvement in a three-year-old drugs case. Majithia was granted interim bail from Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier this month.
