Punjab BJP chief wants probe into proceeds of corruption

Chandigarh, Dec 9 (PTI) Asserting that corruption has become the bane of the society, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday to probe the leaders of all political parties in the state to ascertain if anyone received money from corrupt practices.

He also produced his June 16 letter to Mann, seeking a probe to find the end beneficiaries of drug money and alleged that several "MLAs who would come on bicycles now own luxury cars and many have farmhouses".

"Corruption has become the bane of the society. Now, the senior leaders of the party that ruled the country for 70 years are themselves making serious allegations of corruption against each other.

"Bhagwant Mannji, you had called this corruption a cancer. You also said that you had files, so why don't you open those files? I had written to you earlier and I demand again that a time-bound investigation be conducted into all leaders of all the parties (including me) under the supervision of the chief justice of the high court, so that the truth comes out and it becomes known where the money from various corrupt practices went," Jakhar said in a post in Punjabi on X.

In his June 16 letter, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had demanded that the probe to track down the "mighty and powerful end beneficiaries in the drug-money trail be conducted under the supervision of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu".

"I am writing to you with hope and caution to draw your attention towards the criticalness of an urgent probe under the direct supervision of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu to track down the mighty and powerful end beneficiaries in the drug-money trail, which is the primary source that has tormented Punjab.

"This is important if your government wants to establish its credibility and resolve in its fight against drugs," he wrote to the chief minister.

"It will be appropriate if you, as the chief minister, write to the honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court chief justice seeking his intervention to set up a time-bound probe by a credible agency, or even a multi-agency probe, under his supervision to uncover the end beneficiaries in the drug-money trail," Jakhar added.

He said it is imperative to "follow the money" in the drug-money trail, without which the exercise to root out drugs from Punjab is not only futile but a farce as well.

Asserting that "the elephant in the room" has to be addressed, he said arresting thousands of addicts and small players will not make much of a difference.

"The flow of money has to be established to catch the big fish and arrest the end beneficiaries, be it politicians across party lines or officials. The drug cartels in Punjab cannot thrive without some or the other kind of patronage," Jakhar noted.

"The recovery of narcotics in Punjab goes into several thousands of crores of rupees which underlies the rot that exists.

"At the same time, the fortunes of several Punjab politicians have turned in the last few years, which cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. It raises a lot of stench and suspicion on the source of funding," the BJP leader said.

"The MLAs who would come on bicycles now own luxury cars worth over crores. Many have farmhouses spread over many acres.

"Since the quantum of the money involved in the drug-money trail is colossally huge, it reeks of money laundering which can be probed by the Enforcement Directorate, or as deemed fit by the chief justice, since money laundering could be huge and involving the high and mighty," his letter to Mann read.

Jakhar said ministers, MLAs, party presidents, parties in-charge and leaders of all hues should be part of the investigation.

"Merely by filing mandatory Income Tax returns does not end the chapter. I as the state BJP president offer myself to be the first to be probed as a mark of my and my party's sincerity and earnestness," he added. PTI CHS RC