Chandigarh, May 9: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid at the official residence of Punjab Cabinet Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjeev Arora in Chandigarh on Saturday morning. The ED team arrived at the Sector 2 residence around 7 AM.
Reports indicate that approximately 20 vehicles were involved in the operation. To maintain security, nearly three dozen personnel from the CIA and Special Forces were deployed. The search operation commenced at 7:25 AM and lasted for several hours.
This action by the ED is reportedly part of an investigation into alleged money laundering, violations of the AEMA, land-related issues, and suspicious financial transactions. The agency conducted simultaneous raids not only in Chandigarh but also in several other cities, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Gurugram. Investigations are said to also encompass offices linked to Sanjeev Arora’s family and his company.
Sources reveal that Sanjeev Arora was not present during the raid, as he is currently on an official visit to Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he is meeting with industrialists to attract investment to Punjab under the ‘Invest Punjab’ program.
The ED’s actions have intensified political tensions in Punjab. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took to social media platform X to launch a sharp attack on the BJP and the central government. He stated, “Today, once again, the BJP’s ED has come to Sanjeev Arora’s house. This is the third time in a year that the ED has visited his home, and the second time in a month, yet they have found nothing. I want to tell Modi that Punjab is the land of Gurus; Aurangzeb could not bend us. This is the land of Bhagat Singh, who never bowed to the British, and Punjab will never bow to Modi’s tactics either. This unethical alliance of the ED and BJP will end in Punjab.”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh also accused the central government of misusing federal agencies to target opposition leaders. He wrote on X, “The BJP’s ‘contract killer’ ED has once again reached Punjab. The raid at Minister Sanjeev Arora’s house has begun. This spectacle will last two to three days, fake news will circulate, and the contract killer will leave. What more tactics will you employ, Modi ji, to defame the Bhagwant Mann government and halt the work of the Punjab people?”
Punjab Minister Harpal Cheema remarked that the BJP has once again sent the ED to Punjab, which is nothing new. He noted that wherever elections are held, BJP operatives begin such activities six to seven months in advance to harass the public. He added that their leaders are being threatened, but this will not yield results. “We believe in the Constitution; these people are trying to manipulate votes through SIR,” he stated.
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