Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a scathing attack on the BJP and the Narendra Modi government over the CBI raid at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s camp office, alleging that central investigative agencies are being misused ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia said the BJP, which has “no issues” in Punjab, had started misusing central agencies to target the Mann government. In a post on X, Sisodia alleged that the CBI raid was an attempt to defame the state government and described the agency as the BJP’s “advance party” for the upcoming Punjab elections.
He said the raid was not a sign of strength but of the BJP’s “frustration”. Sisodia added that the voice of Punjab could not be silenced through such actions.
Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the BJP’s desperation ahead of the elections was evident. He alleged that people across the country were being intimidated through agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and CBI.
Cheema said the CBI conducted the raid within 24 hours without waiting for the Supreme Court to hear AAP’s petition, calling it an attempt to intimidate Punjabis. “Punjab and Punjabis have never been afraid,” he said.
He claimed that the people of Punjab would stand firmly with AAP and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and would respond to the BJP’s alleged “high-handedness” in the elections. He also said the party would fight to protect the Constitution and democracy through the streets, Parliament and legal avenues.
AAP Punjab president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the CBI raid marked the beginning of the BJP’s 2027 election campaign in Punjab. He claimed that the BJP was worried after seeing the work done by the Bhagwant Mann government over the past nearly five years.
Arora alleged that the BJP was unable to make a political impact on the ground and was therefore resorting to central agencies. He said Punjab had always responded strongly to “high-handedness” and would do so again in the upcoming elections.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also criticised the BJP over the raid. In a post on X, he alleged that the BJP’s only weapon during elections was the misuse of agencies such as the ED and CBI.
Singh said the people of Punjab were watching how the Mann government, which he claimed had delivered exemplary work in sectors such as electricity, water, education and healthcare, was being targeted.
Cabinet Minister Baljit Kaur alleged that the BJP was politically using central agencies in Punjab as the Assembly elections approach.
