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Following the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raid at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's camp office in Chandigarh, Congress chief Pargat Singh on Wednesday said the situation in the state had deteriorated to such an extent that a central agency had to conduct a search at the Chief Minister's office.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had come to power promising a Lokpal, but the situation had now reached a point where the Chief Minister's office was being raided. "AAP came to power on the promise of a Lokpal, but today the situation is such that raids have been carried out at the CM's office. Nothing can be worse than this," Singh said. His remarks came a day after the CBI registered an FIR against Mann's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman and five others and conducted searches at eight locations, including the Punjab Chief Minister's camp office in Chandigarh. The agency said the case relates to allegations of corruption involving the influencing or manipulation of postings, departmental proceedings, policy formulation, administrative approvals, tender conditions, licensing and land-related matters in return for alleged pecuniary benefits. The CBI action followed a Punjab and Haryana High Court order directing the agency to register a case and investigate the allegations. The High Court order came on a PIL filed by advocate Nikhil Saraf after allegations flagged by the Enforcement Directorate were not acted upon by the Punjab Police. Meanwhile, Punjab Assembly Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday targeted CM Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over the CBI raids, saying they should face the investigation into allegations of corruption linked to the Chief Minister's Office. "Regarding the CBI raids in Chandigarh yesterday, I hold Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann directly responsible. The ED wrote four letters to the Director General. If they had registered an FIR against these individuals themselvesor even arrested a few of themthey could have saved themselves. But they didn't do that," Bajwa said. Bajwa said the High Court intervened after the state authorities failed to register an FIR. "Consequently, a petition was filed by a lawyer in the High Court, and the Court ruled on the matter. There are very serious charges of corruptionscams involving crores and billions of rupees related to land, Gram Panchayats, transfers, and the awarding of contracts," he said. He further alleged that there were accusations concerning the Chief Minister's Office and Mann's immediate family, while asserting that the investigation should establish whether the allegations have any basis. (ANI)
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