New Delhi : The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) raids at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s camp office have triggered a political storm in the state. Mann, reacting to the CBI action on Tuesday, said the raids were a sign of the BJP’s “desperation to gain a foothold in the state” and alleged that the party had turned its agencies against Punjab’s elected chief minister.
A CBI raid was conducted at my camp office. Now ED and CBI will be misused in Punjab to defame the Punjab Government and me. Seeing the love and support I am receiving from the people, the BJP is rattled,” CM Mann said. The action followed directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered a probe by the federal agency after noting that material shared by the Enforcement Directorate prima facie indicated involvement in acts of corruption.
He accused the BJP of repeatedly pushing Punjab aside, from the farmers’ protest to the state’s water and the issue of Panjab University and said the CBI action at his camp office was part of the party’s preparations for the upcoming elections. His comments were echoed by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who described the raid as a result of the BJP’s “panic” ahead of the elections.
Punjabis have made up their minds, and in the upcoming elections, they will respond to the BJP’s CBI raid by giving Bhagwant Mann more than 100 seats and making him the chief minister again,” said Kejriwal. Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora also linked the raids to the 2027 elections, alleging that the BJP was uneasy with the work of the AAP government.
The BJP is uneasy with the works done by the AAP government in Punjab and this is the reason that they have got these raids conducted through agencies. Nobody is supporting BJP on ground. But people of Punjab are courageous and give strong replies to such tactics. In these elections also, people of Punjab will give strong reply to BJP. The BJP, however, hit back at the Punjab chief minister and rejected the allegation that the CBI action was politically directed.
Chugh said the CBI had not been sent to Punjab by the Centre, but had been directed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to register a case and investigate allegations based on material placed before it by the ED. The allegations being investigated include alleged interference in IAS and IPS postings, departmental proceedings, policy decisions, tender conditions, licences, CLU matters, property disputes and Revenue Department matters, he said.
Read Also : 4.4-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Uttarakhand, Tremors Felt in Delhi-NCR