Cong MP Partap Bajwa claims Punjab missed excise revenue targets in last 3 yrs

The Punjab excise and taxation department has missed its revenue targets for the past three years, Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa alleged on Tuesday, as he sought to counter the party-led state government's claim that there was a marked increase in excise revenue. Blaming liquor smuggling and liquor mafia in the state for revenue loss, Rajya Sabha MP Bajwa sought a probe by a central agency or a sitting judge into the matter.

On May 15, the state excise and taxation department, which is with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, had said the revenue receipts had shown marked increase since the Amarinder Singh government came to power in 2017.

It had also stressed that it has not incurred any losses in the financial year 2019-20, except those resulting from the COVID-19-related lockdown.

Bajwa, who is a former Punjab Congress chief, took to Twitter on Tuesday and attacked his party-led government in the state over the excise revenue issue.

Bajwa asked the chief minister that when the government's own accounts showed missing of excise revenue targets, how is it that you have publicly declared that this is not true?