SAD to seek dismissal of Amarinder govt over hooch tragedy

The opposition SAD on Thursday said it would launch an agitation over the hooch tragedy in Punjab that claimed 113 lives and demand the dismissal of the Amarinder Singh government in the state.

The decision was taken in a Shiromani Akali Dal's core committee meeting, chaired by party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal here.

In the meeting, SAD leaders also decided to meet Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore on Thursday to demand the dismissal of the Congress government As many as 113 people died in the hooch tragedy with maximum 84 fatalities in Tarn Taran, followed by 15 in Amritsar and 14 in Batala.

“Since the chief minister has refused to own moral responsibility for the tragedy and resign, the party would approach the Governor tomorrow and demand the immediate dismissal of the government,” Badal said.

“The entire party will subsequently press for dismissal of the Congress government by holding a 'dharna' outside the Governor's residence from August 7 to August 10,” he added.

The SAD core committee also decided to take the agitation to Delhi and hold protests outside the residences of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the second phase, according to a party release here.

Badal blamed the state government for the spurious liquor tragedy.

The SAD would also hold protests at the site of illegal liquor distilleries and bottling plants in Patiala and Khanna on August 13 and 14.

The core committee also reiterated the party's demand for an inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court into the hooch tragedy as well as the illicit liquor trade.

Meanwhile, the Punjab unit of BJP demanded a CBI probe into the hooch tragedy from Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy in a virtual conference.

Punjab BJP unit chief Ashwani Sharma alleged that the liquor mafia was working in the state under the “patronage” of the Congress government.

In a statement here, he further alleged that the state had suffered a revenue loss of Rs 5,600 crore because of the illegal liquor trade.

(Photo Credit: PTI)