Punjab CM Charanjit Channi gets clean chit in illegal mining case; calls Arvind Kejriwal a liar

New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday (February 12) got a clean chit in the illegal sand mining investigation by the Ropar district administration and the police, reported ANI. 

Soon after getting exonerated, Channi launched an attack and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) team including the party’s Punjab co-in-charge Raghav Chadha, who carried out a love raid in Channi’s constituency and alleged his involvement in the illegal sand mining in his area. 

Calling Kejriwal a liar, Channi said, “They tried levelling several allegations against me, but none were true...They complained to the Governor (against me), he ordered an inquiry. Truth prevails.” 

The Punjab CM has also compared AAP leaders to the ‘British’, who had come to ‘loot’ the state and the country. 

"British had come to loot India, likewise, Kejriwal and his Delhi family such as Raghav Chadha and other outsiders have come to loot Punjab. But Punjab will show them their place as it did to Mughals, British," Channi said. 

Taking a dig at Kejriwal, Channi said that the government is "not formed on the basis of lies. 

Illegal mining case 

After AAP state co-in-charge Raghav Chadha had submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, demanding an inquiry into Channi`s alleged role in illegal mining at Jindapur village near Chamkaur Sahib, the Governor had asked the DGP to probe the matter. 

Last month Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized more than Rs 10 crore, gold worth above 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of Channi`s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey. Punjab will go to the Assembly polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. 

In the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, Congress won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 years.

Live TV