SAD demands probe into land dealers network operating in Punjab 'under AAP patronage'

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday demanded that in view of Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora's arrest, a time-bound probe be initiated into all those linked to the alleged GST fraud, ''illegal Dubai money transfers and suspicious land dealings''. The land and property dealers network operating ''under AAP's political patronage'' in Punjab must face strict investigation, the party said. In a statement here, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the arrest of AAP minister Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate ''exposed the seriousness of the financial irregularities network functioning in the state''. ''Every individual linked to alleged GST fraud, illegal Dubai money transfers and suspicious land dealings must face strict investigation,'' he said. Asserting that very serious allegations had been levelled against Arora, the SAD leader said ''farmers deserve answers to allegations that land was bought cheap and sold at massive profits through a powerful nexus. ''It appears that Arora was working as a fund raiser and money exchanger for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal. Money looted from the State should be probed and every rupee should be recovered,'' he said. Majithia also asserted that Punjab could not be turned into a hub of corruption, middlemen and political protection. ''If the state vigilance can act against opposition leaders, the same law must apply equally to ruling party leaders and their associates'', he added. In view of the large-scale seizure of cash during a raid in Mohali two days back, Majithia said he demands that look out notices be issued against the chief minister's OSD Rajbir Ghuman and two others -- Nitin Gohal and Pritpal Singh Dhindsa -- who he claimed were ''middlemen''. ''It is clear that Nitin and Pritpal are working as middlemen and are responsible for large-scale corruption,'' he said. The Akali leader said Ghuman had ''already disappeared from public view'' but it should be ensured that he and Nitin and Pritpal do not flee the country. Majithia also dimissed the chief minister's statement that he did not know Nitin and Pritpal, claiming that the duo, along with former Punjab Cricket Association president Gulzarinder Singh Chahal, had accompanied Mann in a chartered plane from Bangalore to Chandigarh.

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