CHANDIGARH, June 16: Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Monday wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a probe under the supervision of the high court chief justice into the “drug money trail” to track down its “powerful end beneficiaries”.
“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,” Jakhar said.
“Arresting thousands of drug addicts and small players will not make much difference. The elephant in the room has to be addressed,” he added.
Under the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign launched by the AAP government in Punjab three-and-a-half months back, more than 17,000 drug smugglers have been arrested, and large consignments of drugs have been seized.
“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 said.
“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, a primary source that has tormented Punjab,” the BJP leader said.
“This is important if your government wants to establish its credibility and resolve in its fight against drugs,” he added.
Jakhar urged Mann to write to the chief justice, seeking his intervention to conduct a “time-bound” probe by a credible agency, or multiple agencies, under his supervision to uncover the end beneficiaries in the drug money trail.
Recovery of narcotics in Punjab goes into several thousand crores of rupees, “which underlines the rot that exists”, Jakhar said.
“The fortunes of several Punjab politicians have turned in the past few years, which cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. It raises a lot of stench and suspicion on the source of funding,” he said.
The BJP leader also claimed that MLAs who rode bicycles now own luxury cars worth crores of rupees. “Many have farmhouses spread over many acres. Since the quantum of 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 it could involve the high and mighty,” Jakhar said.
Ministers, MLAs, party presidents, party in-charges, and leaders of all hues should be part of the investigation, he added.
“As the state BJP president, I offer myself to be the first to be probed as a mark of my and my party’s sincerity and earnestness,” Jakhar said.
“Not just drug money trail, the probe should also include in its scope the trail of illicit money from mining and sand mafia so that the guilty can be brought to book,” he added. (PTI)
