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How can a CM be so blatant, Arvind Kejriwal hits back at Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi over illegal mining issue

PTI

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday hit back at his Punjab counterpart Charanjit Singh Channi after he trashed AAP leader Raghav Chadha's claims of illegal mining in his assembly constituency.

"Is it true that Channi sahib went to a different mining site today and not the one visited by Raghav yesterday? And Channi sahib declared it as legal, whereas the one visited by Raghav is a different site and is illegal. How can a CM be so blatant?" Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Channi visited a mining site in Rupnagar and rejected Chadha's claims of illegal mining in his constituency.

He also gave a strict warning to the AAP leaders from Delhi, saying no "outsider" would be allowed to raise an "unfounded alarm" in the state.

Lashing out at Channi, Chadha alleged that the Punjab chief minister visited some other site "on purpose" and falsely claimed that illegal sand mining is not happening.

"CM Channi did not go to the mining site where I had raided. He went to some remote area and said that the mining happening here is legal," he said.

Chadha, who is co in-charge of the AAP's political affairs in Punjab, had on Saturday alleged that illegal sand mining was being carried out in Channi's constituency Chamkaur Sahib after paying a surprise visit to a village there.

Terming it an "expose", the AAP leader also accused the ruling Congress in the state of "patronising" the sand mafia.

Chadha made the accusations after he visited Jindapur village in Chamkaur Sahib.

The Congress and the AAP have locked horns over various issues ahead of the Punjab assembly polls early next year.

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