Jharkhand: Marandi calls for CBI probe into liquor 'scam'

Ranchi: Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi on Thursday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged liquor scam in the state, which is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Marandi, the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, also alleged that the ongoing probe by the ACB is a “well-planned conspiracy” to protect powerful individuals.

The BJP leader claimed that the statement to the ACB by three former excise commissioners point to senior IAS officer Vinay Choubey’s involvement in the scam.

Choubey, a Jharkhand cadre IAS, is currently in judicial custody in connection with the case. He was the principal secretary to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren during the implementation of the 2022 excise policy in the state.

"All the statements of former excise commissioners are about IAS officers. If the secretary was pressurising them to do illegal work, they should have met the chief secretary and the CM to report the matter. It should be investigated why these people did not make a note of the undue pressure... And if they did, what was the response?" Marandi said.

"Their statements are identical, as if they have been trained to issue those to protect some powerful individuals," he claimed.

Marandi also said he had written a letter to Soren in 2022, “warning him about the potential liquor scam”.

"But, the CM took no action," he alleged.

The Jharkhand BJP chief urged the state government to hand over the probe to the CBI for a transparent and independent investigation into the matter.