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Murder of democracy: Punjab CM on Centre after ED raid on minister
Bhagwant Mann claims central agencies targeting AAP to halt its rapid rise as a national force and create a climate of fear.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday termed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the residence of his cabinet colleague, Sanjeev Arora, a “murder of democracy.”
The raids come amid growing friction between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Union government, following a string of high-profile investigations into AAP’s top brass. With several senior leaders in Delhi and Punjab already under the scanner of federal agencies over alleged financial irregularities, the party has consistently maintained that these probes are politically motivated aimed at destabilising their governance and halting their electoral expansion.
Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference in Chandigarh, Mann alleged that non-BJP governments are being systematically targeted by central agencies to intimidate political opponents. He claimed the BJP is “hand in glove” with the Congress, believing it can manage them, but is desperate to prevent a strong third political force from emerging.
“Government agencies are targeting the AAP because it is growing rapidly and has become a national party in a short span of 10 years,” Mann said, citing recent actions against party leadership.
The chief minister said that the ED had raided AAP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Mittal—chancellor of Lovely Professional University—two days earlier, before moving on to Arora’s residence on Friday. He alleged these actions are designed to create a “climate of fear,” asserting that the AAP would not be intimidated.
Mann argued that the Centre is stifling non-BJP states through various means, including withholding funds and interference via governors.
“They filed fake ED cases against our leaders in Delhi in the so-called liquor scam. Our senior leaders, workers, and policymakers were jailed, threatened, and told to join the BJP or face consequences,” he alleged, calling the ongoing “politics of intimidation: a dangerous trend for the nation.
