Political storm over ED raids on AAP-linked bizman

Jalandhar: The governing AAP called the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Tuesday raids at the residence and office of Jalandhar-based businessman Amit Bajaj, known for his close ties to the AAP, as a deliberate "raid on Hindu traders," drawing criticism from both the Congress and the BJP."The ED party is once again conducting raids on Hindu traders in Punjab today... harassing small Hindu traders. I appeal to all traders—there is no need to panic. The entire state and the Punjab government are with you; we will confront the ED party together," AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal posted on X, launching a direct assault on the BJP and the central agency. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann too echoed these sentiments. "The Hindu traders of Punjab are the backbone of our state's economic development and have made a huge contribution in building ‘Rangla Punjab'. The ED party wants to harass our traders by misusing central agencies. By doing so, they are trying to bring them to their side by exerting political pressure, which Punjabis will absolutely not tolerate. We stand with our traders," the CM posted on his social media accounts. Other AAP functionaries also made similar posts. "The ED party wants to instil fear in the minds of Hindu traders in Punjab. What a shameful thing it is that the ED party people seek votes from Hindus and are hell-bent on ruining Hindus themselves," posted AAP's national media in-charge. The opposition slammed AAP for its communal strategy. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira urged Kejriwal not to "camouflage corruption with religion," alleging top AAP officials, including the chief minister's officer on special duty (OSD), are deeply entangled in mega-corruption scandals in Punjab. Congress MLA Pargat Singh posted, "As elections approach, the BJP sees Sikhs among farmers and the Aam Aadmi Party sees Hindus among traders… The people of Punjab clearly understand the intentions of those trying to divide them for political gain." Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa accused both govts of weaponising agencies, pointing out that while the BJP misuses the ED, the AAP govt weaponises the state's Vigilance Bureau. Randhawa questioned AAP's sudden defence of Hindu traders, pointing to the state govt's recent action against the Trident Group factory in Barnala—owned by Rajya Sabha member Rajinder Gupta—right after Gupta switched from the AAP to the BJP. "Would Kejriwal and Mann explain whether Gupta is not a Hindu?" Randhawa asked. Punjab BJP president Kewal Dhillon defended the central agency, questioning why the AAP govt is so unnerved by anti-corruption crackdowns. "Central agencies are only doing their job according to the law," Dhillon said. "The traders of Punjab are our crown jewels. Chief minister, stop using traders as a political tool and provide them protection from gangsters in Punjab. Instead of attracting even a single rupee of investment in four and a half years, your govt's failures are forcing traders to wrap up their businesses and move to states like UP and Haryana," he said. MSID:: 131612144 413 |