Punjab will never bow to politics of intimidation: CM Mann on ED raids​

Chandigarh, May 9 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government over repeated Enforcement Directorate raids on Aam Aadmi Party leaders, asserting that Punjab would never surrender before “politics of intimidation and vendetta” being carried out through central agencies.​

Pointing out that the Enforcement Directorate had raided Sanjeev Arora’s residence three times within a year and twice within a month without recovering anything, Chief Minister Mann questioned why such raids were being carried out only in states where the Bharatiya Janata Party was not in power.​

The Chief Minister pointed out that the PM Modi government’s real intention was not to recover black money but to pressure Opposition leaders into joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing instances where leaders facing agency action later crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party and received political patronage.​

Declaring that Punjab, the land of Gurus and martyrs, had not bowed even before Aurangzeb’s tyranny, the Chief Minister asserted that Punjab would never bow before PM Modi either and affirmed that the collapse of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Enforcement Directorate nexus would begin from Punjab itself.​

Chief Minister Mann told the media in Sangrur that central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Income Tax Department, and even constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission were no longer functioning independently and were instead being weaponised for political purposes against non-Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, particularly Punjab.​

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had converted these institutions into tools of political coercion to threaten leaders, businessmen, and public representatives.​

“Instead of discharging their duties impartially, these institutions are now being used to settle political scores and destabilise democratically elected governments,” he said.​

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party had adopted the same pattern across the country, in which raids are conducted not to expose corruption or recover black money, but to pressure people politically.​

“The message from the Bharatiya Janata Party is loud and clear: either join the Bharatiya Janata Party or face harassment through raids and investigations,” he remarked.​

Citing the recent case of Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, Chief Minister Mann said raids were conducted for two days at his residence, university, and business establishments.​

“But the moment he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the raids stopped, and he was instead provided security cover by the Centre. What does this expose if not the political misuse of agencies?” he questioned.​

He asserted that such pressure tactics would never succeed in Punjab.​

“We have faced hostile circumstances since our inception. Punjab has never bowed before intimidation and never will,” he added.​

--IANS

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