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BJP vs AAP over ED raids at Saurabh Bharadwaj's residence: Who said what
Manish Sisodia said that at the time ED registered the case in the matter, Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a Delhi Minister.
A political slugfest ensued between the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Tuesday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided former minister Saurabh Bhardwaj's residence in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in hospital construction projects in the national capital.
Following the raids, AAP hit out at the ED and Union Government. Meanwhile, the BJP has welcomed the raid against the AAP MLA, accusing the former Delhi government under Kejriwal of being “corrupt in all fields”.
AAP alleges case fake, politically motivated
Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia claiming that the central agency's action was to divert people's attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree case.
Manisha Sisodia said that at the time ED registered the case in the matter, Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a Delhi Minister.
"Raid was conducted at Saurabh's place to divert attention from Modi ji's degree. At the time when this case was filed, Saurabh Bhardwaj was not even a minister. This entire case is false. It is clear from Satyendra Jain's case that false cases were filed against AAP leaders," Sisodia alleged.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said the ED's raid on Saurabh Bharadwaj's residence is another case of the Union Government "misusing" the agencies. He said no party has targeted AAP like the BJP in the past. He said actions are being taken because the AAP is the "most vocal voice" against the Centre.
"The ED raid at Saurabh Bhardwaj's house is another case of the Modi government misusing agencies. The Modi government has gone after the Aam Aadmi Party. The way "AAP" is being targeted has never been done to any party in history. "AAP" is being targeted because it is the most vocal voice against the Modi government's wrong policies and corrupt deeds. The Modi government wants to suppress our voice. This will never happen," Kejriwal wrote on 'X'.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh called the case registered against Saurabh Bharadwaj "false" and "baseless." He said the Union Government registers false cases against AAP leaders and jails them as part of its "policy."
"The case registered against Saurabh Bharadwaj is false and baseless. He was not even the minister in the time frame in which the ED had registered the case... It is a policy of the Modi government to file false cases against AAP leaders and jail them….This is being done to harass and jail all AAP leaders one by one... The raids are conducted to divert attention from PM Modi's fake degree... To prevent PM Modi's fake degree from being discussed, the ED has conducted raids," Sanjay Singh said in a self-made video.
The Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, claimed that the cases against AAP leaders are "false and politically motivated". She cited the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report in the PWD corruption case against Satyendar Jain.
"The case being cited pertains to a time when Saurabh ji was not even a minister. This means the entire case is baseless. Satyendar ji was also kept in jail for three years, and ultimately, CBI/ED had to submit a closure report. This clearly shows that all the cases against Aam Aadmi Party leaders are merely false and politically motivated," Atishi wrote on X.
BJP welcomes raids against Saurabh Bhardwaj
On the other hand, BJP leaders welcomed the ED raid against AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that the AAP government in Punjab is "looting" the state.
"ED has conducted raids at the residence of AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with the hospital construction scam. Corruption of thousands of crores was done in the name of the construction of 13 hospitals. AAP has gone to Punjab and is looting Punjab with both hands. I want to request the officers of the Punjab government not to get involved in this loot. I welcome this action by ED," Sirsa said.
BJP leader Harish Khurana said that all the departments in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi have been found to be involved in corruption.
"ED has conducted raids at 13 places, including Saurabh Bharadwaj's residence, in connection with the hospital construction scam. This is another case of corruption against AAP's tenure in Delhi. Every department of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has been found involved in corruption," Khurana said.
The raids began early Tuesday morning at 13 locations, including Bhardwaj's residence, across the Delhi-NCR region, based on a certain tip-off in connection with the case. The search operations are being carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
These searches are in "connection with the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) recorded in the Delhi Hospital Construction Scam, relating to FIR (No. 37/2025) dated June 26, 2025, registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Delhi Police, against former Health Ministers of GNCT of Delhi, along with private contractors and unknown government officials."
