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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP and condemned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the premises of Punjab minister and MLA Sanjeev Arora again.
Speaking to reporters, Mann claimed that the BJP had been using agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department against political opponents. "For the past few years, Punjab has been experiencing the BJP's way of working. BJP has weapons of ED, CBI and Income Tax, which it has been using. And now, Punjab is on the BJP's target. Currently, ED is raiding Sanjeev Arora's premises," Mann said. The Punjab Chief Minister said the state would not be intimidated by such actions and condemned the raids. "I want to tell the BJP that Punjab is not scared of threats. I condemn ED's actions," Mann said. He further asserted that communal politics would not succeed in Punjab. "In Punjab, the Hindu-Sikh brotherhood is very strong. I want to tell the BJP that their politics of hate will not work in Punjab," he said. Earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged that Punjabis have been "harassed" through multiple central actions, and accused the BJP-led Centre of targeting leaders in the state following ED raids at the premises of MLA Sanjeev Arora. In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "As soon as the Bengal elections ended, Modi ji started conducting daily ED raids in Punjab. In the past few years, Modi ji has dealt Punjab a heavy blow. Punjabis have been harassed in every possible way. Attacks were launched on Punjab's water, attempts were made to take over Punjab University, funds for rural development were withheld, and now relentless ED raids have been unleashed. A raid was carried out at Ashok Mittal's place, and the very next day he was brought into the BJP. This means the purpose of the ED raid wasn't to uncover stolen money. It was solely to break Ashok Mittal and get him to join the BJP. Just a few days ago, a raid was also conducted at Sanjeev Arora's place. When he didn't join the BJP, another raid was carried out at his premises." Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday carried out raids at multiple locations linked to Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with an ongoing alleged Rs 100 crore money laundering probe. The searches are being conducted at five premises across Delhi, Gurugram and Chandigarh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. (ANI)
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