AAP may use 'kickbacks' from Punjab excise policy in LS polls: State BJP to EC
Punjab BJP on Saturday met the state Chief Electoral Officer and pressed for an ED probe into the state excise policy, alleging «black money received by AAP through kickbacks» could be used during the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP's fresh attack on the issue came after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a Delhi excise policy-linked money-laundering case on Thursday.
However, the ruling AAP in Punjab hit back, accusing the BJP of «peddling lies» to mislead people as it will get a «zero» in Punjab in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP delegation, led by Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and comprising Union minister Som Parkash, former Union minister Vijay Sampla and others, handed over a memorandum to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C, seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the state excise policy.
Jakhar told reporters here that Punjab's excise policy was framed along the lines of the tainted Delhi excise policy.
He alleged that state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema along with two senior officials had even attended a meeting with the then Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is in judicial custody in the Delhi excise case, for framing the state excise policy in May 2022.
«We have demanded a probe by the ED into Punjab's excise policy,» said Jakhar.
«In Punjab, where Bhagwant Mann-led government acted at the behest of its Delhi masters, now behind bars, to allow official plunder of
