DW BUREAU / chandigarh The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday took out a protest march here over the recent spurious liquor tragedy that claimed 121 lives in the state. Led by SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, the protesters sought immediate dismissal of the Amarinder Singh government in the state. The police stopped the protesters going towards the Raj Bhawan and they briefly detained them. Monday's protest march was the fourth as part of the Akali Dal's agitation programme against the Congress-led government in Punjab. Talking to reporters, Dhillon demanded that the Congress government should be dismissed immediately as the chief minister had "refused" to act against Congressmen who were accused of being involved in the supply of spurious liquor. He demanded a CBI probe into the matter to bring out the truth behind the hooch tragedy. "Poor and Dalit families have lost their bread winners in the hooch tragedy. A CBI inquiry is necessary to bring out the truth in the case," he said. The SAD leader also urged the Punjab governor to order another inquiry into the "proliferation of illicit liquor and drugs" in the state. He claimed that the liquor and drug mafia had no fear of the police or law enforcement agencies. As many as 121 people died in the recent spurious liquor tragedy in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur's Batala. Meanwhile, the SAD said Punjab farmers were being made to pay the price for the loot of the State exchequer by Congressmen with the government running away from releasing Rs 300 crore given by the centre to subsidize paddy stubble management machinery by giving an excuse in the Supreme Court that the same had been used to fight COVID-19. In a statement here, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said it was shocking that the Congress government had submitted in the apex court that it had used the funds meant for purchasing 23,500 straw management machines to fight COVID-19 when it had not even fully utilized the funds received for the same from the centre. "The Punjab government seems to have misled the apex court as it had not utilized the Rs 6,000 disaster management funds which have accumulated with it. The Congress government has also admitted that it has not utilized Rs 60 crore accumulated with it as part of the CM Relief fund which is to be used exclusively to fight the COVID-19 pandemic." Dr Daljit Cheema said this was not all. "Central funds have been received by the Punjab government under various heads to fight the pandemic. The government is yet to exhaust this money and submit utilization certificate for the same." The SAD leader said it the light of these facts, it was shocking that the government was running away from releasing funds to farmers to purchase straw management machines at subsidized rates. He said the government should explain why it was taking stringent action against farmers burning paddy stubble when it could not release money to allow them to manage the same. He said this step would also have dire consequences for the State's environment and would lead to increased pollution. "The SAD condemns this anti-farmer decision of the Congress government and asks it to release money to farmers to purchase the necessary equipment immediately or be ready for a stir to force it to do the same." (editor@dailyworld.in)