BJP demands time-bound CBI probe

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged irregularities in sand mining in Punjab, citing remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party Member of Parliament Kang Malvinder.

Addressing the media, BJP National Spokesperson R.P. Singh claimed that concerns raised by the ruling party’s own MP had exposed what he described as a large-scale illegal sand mining racket operating under the Punjab government.

He said that when a sitting MP from the ruling party questions the functioning of the government, it can no longer be dismissed as an opposition allegation but must be treated as a serious internal charge.

Singh referred to official figures to highlight what he termed a major gap between promises and actual revenue collections. According to him, Punjab’s average annual revenue from sand mining is around ₹288 crore, whereas the AAP had, prior to the Assembly elections, projected that the state could generate ₹20,000 crore annually from the sector. He described the difference as “staggering” and said the numbers did not add up.

He further argued that such projections had been presented to voters as concrete financial commitments rather than political slogans. Questioning the shortfall, Singh asked where the promised ₹20,000 crore had gone and whether the gap over four years—running into tens of thousands of crores—was linked to systemic corruption or illegal mining allegedly operating under political protection.