Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew and several others were raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday in connection with illegal sand mining, just weeks before the state goes to polls.
The ED raided the locations as part of a money laundering probe against companies involved in illegal sand mining in the border state, officials said. They said at least 10-12 locations in the state are being covered by the officials of the federal agency and the action is being undertaken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Sources in the ED told CNN-News18 that the agency was probing the relationship of CM’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey with one Kudratdeep Singh who is facing charges of illegal sand mining. Bhupinder Singh Honey had formed a company named Punjab Realtors and the allegation is that the Malikpur quarry in Nawashahar was illegally allotted.
The Congress was quick to react to the raids, with national president of the Indian Youth Congress saying BJP had started its poll campaign in the state.
ECI = BJP's (ED) BJP ने पंजाब में शुरू किया चुनावी अभियान..
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) January 18, 2022
The state is poll-bound with voting slated to take place for its 117 assembly seats on February 20.
Illegal sand mining has been a key issue in Punjab, with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh accusing the ruling Congress of links to the trade.
Singh, who walked out of the Congress after a public feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu, alleges that all Congress MLAs are involved in the illegal trade of sand. “If I start telling names I will have to start from the top,” he had earlier said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one of the strongest contenders in the state, has also targeted Channi over allegations of illegal sand mining in his constituency.
Read all the Latest Politics News here
Comments
0 comment