Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the sand mafia in Punjab alone runsillegal business of over Rs 20,000 crore.
There are serious allegations of direct involvement ofruling Congress MLAs, their ministers and their close associates, including theChief Minister himself.
Kejriwal was responding to the queries of the mediapersons on his arrival at Sri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport here. He wason a day-long visit to Punjab for participation in party programmes.
He said when allegations of involvement of the CongressMLAs and ministers, including the Chief Minister, in sand mafia and many otherillegal activities are being levelled, then who will protect the interests ofthe general public?
"Who will save the interest of Punjab? To whom willthe common people go for justice? Can the welfare of Punjab and the people ofPunjab be expected from such mafia and patrons of mafia state?"
Kejriwal said earlier the Badals and the BJP had lootedthe state by patronizing all sorts of mafia during their regime.
In 2017, people expressed their faith in the promisesmade by the Congress and the Captain (Amarinder Singh), but they too followedthe footsteps of the Badals.
He said according to an estimate, illegal trade of Rs20,000 crore per annum in sand and gravel mining alone was going on in Punjab.This money can be used for the welfare of the people, but it is going into thepockets of the leaders instead of the government coffers.
Kejriwal promised that with the formation of the AAPgovernment in 2022, all sorts of mafia, including illegal sand mining, would beshut down.
The money that is going into the pockets of politicalleaders from the resources of the state due to mafia rule will go to the needypockets of mothers, sisters and the elderly.