Chandigarh, Aug 27 (IANS): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislative members have moved a motion for a debate on the government's alleged failure to take action against Congress legislators and distilleries whose complicity with the liquor mafia led to the deaths of 135 people in Punjab's hooch tragedy.

The issue is likely to be listed for discussion during the one-day Assembly session on Friday.

SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon on Thursday said the motion was submitted to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat on Wednesday under rule 77 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

It calls for holding a special debate on the entire illicit liquor trade which also causes the loss of Rs 5,600 crore in excise revenue.

The motion said Punjab had witnessed an unprecedented hooch tragedy leading to 130 deaths over a period of two days in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts and another five deaths some days later in Tarn Taran and Bholath.

It said while the illegal distilleries-cum-bottling plants were earlier revealed to be running in Rajpura and Khanna towns, the deaths occurred in the Majha region and have now even reached Doaba with three persons succumbing after consuming poisonous liquor in Bholath.

The SAD-BJP legislators said Punjabis were pained that the state government had not taken any action against either the Congress legislators running the liquor mafia, the distilleries who supplied spirit to the mafia, as well as those running bottling plants which were used to market this poisonous brew.

They said since Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has also been found wanting in taking appropriate action against the perpetrators of this ghastly crime against humanity, it was only fitting that a larger discussion should be held to recommend an independent inquiry to nail the culprits.

They also demanded that all case files of the Rajpura and Khanna distillery seizures be handed over to the Enforcement Directorate.

The motion said that there were widespread accusations that two distilleries -- owned by the family of Chief Minister's Advisor Paramjit Singh Sarna and Congress legislator Rana Gurjit Singh, had supplied spirit to the liquor mafia which led to the hooch tragedy.

It said no inquiry has been conducted against these distilleries. This inquiry should be conducted immediately and if found guilty abetment to murder charges should be levelled against them.