Illegal liquor trade issue snowballs into political row

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 21

The recovery of liquor in two different cases in the Ghanaur Assembly segment of Rajpura recently has snowballed into a political controversy with Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders blaming each other for “being involved in illegal liquor trade”.

While the SAD blames Madan Lal Jalalpur directly for backing the illegal liquor mafia and patronising them, Jalalpur says local SAD leaders are hand in glove with the liquor mafia.

The controversy erupted last week when the Patiala police and the Excise Department raided an illegal distillery-cum-liquor-bottling plant, which was making huge money during the lockdown by selling illicit liquor under the guise of popular brands. The accused, operating the distillery from a cold store, were making liquor by diluting extra neutral alcohol (ENA), which was available at a cheaper price, and sold it at exorbitant rates. Khanpur Khurd sarpanch Amrik Singh, who is also an aide of Congress MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur, and Dipesh Kumar of Rajpura were booked after Thursday’s raid.

Earlier, another cache of extra neutral alcohol (ENA) was seized from the tube well of a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader on Monday night. The tube well is allegedly owned by former SAD panchayat samiti member Darshan Singh of Pabri village. During the raid, the police recovered ENA in 20 drums and a few empty drums at Pabri village under the Kheri Gandian police station.

However the SAD leaders today blamed Jalalpur for the illegal trade of liquor claiming that the Congress MLA was the man behind this entire operation. They said last week after the Congressmen were booked, he pressurised the police to show empty drums and planted the liquor at Pabri to shift the blame.

“A week after the factory was sealed, the police buckled under the pressure of the Congress MLA and failed to arrest any of his close aides. Even the middlemen, who bought and sold this liquor, are also evading arrest,” said former Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, while speaking at the residence of SAD leader from Ghanaur Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur.

“Call details of Jalalpur for the past one year should be made public and all his deals with llegal liquor traders will come to light,” Rakhra added.

Mukhmailpur said, “Illegal gambling, mining and liquor manufacturing hub is the tag that the Congress has earned for Rajpura and Ghanaur.”

“A High Court-monitored or the CBI probe is the only option that can nail actual culprits. Bribes and monthly cuts accepted by Congress leaders in Patiala and Rajpura need a thorough probe,” she added. The police acted on behest of the Congress to show a fake raid at Pabri village, she said.

Blaming the Akali Dal and the BJP for the Rajpura liquor recovery case, Jalalpur said the illegal distillery was owned by SAD and BJP leaders and the Akali Dal was blaming the Congress to shift the blame. Police officials stated that a SIT had been formed to probe the cases.