Chandigarh : A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on his nephew and others in an illegal sand mining case, chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday accused the Centre of attempts to frame him in order to take revenge for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ferozepur visit fiasco.
Channi said his nephew (Bhupinder Singh Honey) was tortured by the agency and even lured to name him in the case as part of a conspiracy to target the Congress and spoil its election. “I have learnt that those who had come to interrogate talked about the PM’s visit, saying they will not let us file our nomination papers or contest the elections,” the beleaguered chief minister alleged at a press conference at the party headquarters in Chandigarh. Accompanying him were deputy chief minister Sukhinder Singh Randhawa, cabinet ministers Brahm Mahindra and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
The ED had on Tuesday carried out raids at 10 places, including Honey’s house, in Pathankot, Mohali and other areas. It has recovered ₹10 crore so far during the anti-money laundering probe against illegal sand mining operations. Calling the ED raids at his nephew’s premises a “planted exercise”, Channi claimed his nephew was not even named in the 2018 FIR of the Nawanshahr police on which the agency’s action was based. “This is a conspiracy to trap me in this case. They are taking revenge because I stood with Punjab and people of Punjab during the Prime Minister’s visit to Ferozepur,” he said, questioning the timing of the ED raids.
Accusing the Centre of “vindictive action”, the chief minister said that if Modi had to return, what was his fault? “Why revenge is being taken on me?” he asked, alleging that his ministers and other party leaders were also under pressure. He also alleged that whenever elections are to take place, the Centre uses the ED, Income Tax and other agencies to arm-twist political opponents. “During the West Bengal elections, Mamata Banerjee’s relatives were raided and cases registered. They did this in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra also. Like West Bengal, they will not be allowed to succeed in Punjab,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Accusing the Centre of “vindictive action”, the chief minister said that if Modi had to return, what was his fault? “Why revenge is being taken on me?” he asked, alleging that his ministers and other party leaders were also under pressure. He also alleged that whenever elections are to take place, the Centre uses the ED, Income Tax and other agencies to arm-twist political opponents. “During the West Bengal elections, Mamata Banerjee’s relatives were raided and cases registered. They did this in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra also. Like West Bengal, they will not be allowed to succeed in Punjab,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Hitting out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Channi said that when the former’s nephew was arrested in a corruption case related to roads and sewerage works in Delhi, he cried vendetta but is happy when ED has carried out raids in Punjab. He also alleged that SAD leader Bikram Majithia against whom a case had been registered (under the NDPS Act) and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh are behind the raids. “They are all mixed-up against the Congress…they cannot tolerate how a poor man’s son has become the chief minister,” said Channi.
Asked why Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has not spoken a word in his favour, the CM ducked the query.