After Kejriwal, could Punjab govt be next? ED watch on its MLA, excise officials, AAP fears worst

There is a palpable sense of fear in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ranks in Punjab, after Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal was arrested Thursday in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The fear is compounded by the fact that last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had raided the residence and office of AAP MLA and realtor Kulwant Singh in Mohali, and also questioned three Punjab officials.

On Friday, the BJP’s Punjab unit chief, Sunil Jakhar, demanded that the ED along with the Election Commission probe the AAP Punjab government’s excise policy.

The three Punjab officials who had been questioned by the ED over the state’s excise policy were then Finance Commissioner (Excise) K A P Sinha, and Varun Roojam and Naresh Dubey, the Commissioner and Joint Commissioners, respectively, of the Excise and Taxation Department. All three officials were involved in the framing of the state’s excise policy in 2022.

Incidentally, promoters of two companies which got wholesale licences (L1) to sell liquor in the state under the policy are named as accused in the Delhi excise policy case.

The ED had also alleged that Roojam and Dubey were present at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also under arrest in the Delhi excise case, when the Punjab policy was framed. The ED had conducted search and seizure operations at the residences of Roojam and Dubey.

Last year, the CBI had also sought sanction from the state government to pursue action against the two officials, under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The government had, however, not responded.

Sinha is now the Finance Commissioner (Development).

Sources in the AAP government said the fear is that the officials may turn