Khaira: Judicial probe an eyewash, Rana Gurjit will get clean chit

CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday “rejected” the judicial probe into mining contracts as they alleged that the one-man commission constituted by the Punjab government was just an “eyewash” to give “clean chit” to cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh.

The opposition party instead sought an independent probe by a serving judge of Punjab and Haryana high court “to expose the truth” behind the “benami transactions” and reauction of sand mines.

Chief minister Amarinder Singh had ordered the setting up of one-man judicial commission to probe the allegations of impropriety against Rana in the multi-crore sand mining auctions conducted recently by the state government.

“The judicial commission is just an eyewash and we completely reject it,” AAP MLA Sukhpal Khaira said while addressing media here. On Wednesday, the state government had notified the terms and conditions for the commission of inquiry constituted to probe irregularities, if any, in the sand mining auctions.

Questioning the intentions of the government in “uncovering the scam”, Khaira said there was no mention of looking “into the money trail” in the terms and conditions of the commission.

“No effort is being made by Punjab government to go into the money trail,” he said. “The most important point was to trace the benami transactions, hawala transactions and money laundering involved in it. But there is no mention of such in the terms and conditions of the commission. It seems the terms of reference of the commission were fixed with the permission of Rana,” he Khaira said.

The one-man commission of retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Justice J S Narang would probe all aspects of the allegations of impropriety against Rana in the multi-crore sand mining auctions.