Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Saturday claimed that he found illegal sand mining being carried out in Chamkaur Sahib, Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency. Raghav Chadha made the accusation following his visit to Jindapur village in Chamkaur Sahib.
"Illegal sand mining in Charanjit Singh Channi constituency has been exposed. It is the biggest expose which will shake Punjab's politics," Chadha told reporters, according to news agency PTI.
"We are in Jindapur village, which is in the chief minister's constituency Chamkaur Sahib. Illegal sand mining is going on here openly. Sand is being illegally ferried in trucks," the AAP leader claimed.
The AAP leader also went on to attack the ruling Congress in the state, saying the party was "patronising" the sand mafia.
Recalling that Channi had declared that those connected to the sand mafia should not try to approach him, Chadha said, “But here we can see this mafia is enjoying the patronage of the ruling outfit.”
Chadha said as per their estimates, 800 to 1,000 trucks, called tippers, filled with sand were being taken out from the site. "Right under the chief minister's nose and in his own constituency, this illegal activity is going on," PTI quoted him as saying.
"Channi's hoardings can be seen in the state that his government has checked various mafia. The truth is that in his own constituency illegal mining is going, so his claims are hollow. Another claim that people were getting sand at ₹5 per cubic feet is also hollow," Chadha claimed.
{{/usCountry}}"Channi's hoardings can be seen in the state that his government has checked various mafia. The truth is that in his own constituency illegal mining is going, so his claims are hollow. Another claim that people were getting sand at ₹5 per cubic feet is also hollow," Chadha claimed.
{{/usCountry}}On Friday, Charanjit Singh Channi attacked his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal calling him a "power greedy outsider" who wants to rule the state and accused him of misleading Punjabis. Channi also claimed that the AAP supremo had little knowledge about the state and was "groping in the dark for fulfilling his lust of power".
Notably, Punjab is headed for assembly elections in early 2022. The Aam Aadmi Party is trying to come to power in the state after retaining its rule in neighbouring Delhi for a second term.