Join hands to fight liquor mafia: Jai Ram to opposition

The chief minister was responding to the motion moved by leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri on arrest of Una MLA Satpal Singh Raizada’s personal security officer and driver.

Himachal Pradehs chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday gave a clarion call to the members of legislative assembly to rise above politics to fight against  ‘liquor mafia’ in the state.  

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur addressing the House on the third day of monsoon session, in Shimla on Wednesday.(HTphoto)

The chief minister was responding to the motion moved by leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, who once again raked up the issue of police action against Una MLA Satpal Singh Raizada’s personal security officer and his driver, who were arrested for beating cops acting against bootleggers. Thakur assured the opposition of an impartial probe by Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the incident. However, the Congress legislator remained persistent on his demand to transfer Una superintendent of police who had made the arrest. Agnihotri said his party does not favour an inquiry by police, even as they fully support the government’s endeavour to fight liquor mafia in the state, saying that action against the MLA’s staff was a “political conspiracy to defame him”.

The opposition, who has been staging a walkout since the first day, blamed the BJP-led state government of attempting to frame Una legislator even as the chief minister clarified saying that police action was against liquor smugglers and not the legislator. Thakur said the opposition should not be apprehensive about Una SP’s role in influencing the inquiry and informed that the officer will be proceeding  for training from  August 28 till October 4.

“Since the SP will be proceeding for training, he will have no role in the probe,” Thakur said as he out rightly declined the opposition’s demand to transfer the officer. He said the move would send a wrong message to the police force fighting against the liquor mafia.

“The government does not believe in political vendetta. There is no single incident during my tenure where one can point that the government acted with vendetta,” he said.