ED raids expose fissures in AAP, says Punjab BJP chief

Chandigarh, May 8 (IANS) Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sunil Jakhar said on Friday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s action in Mohali has clearly exposed divisions within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Taking a jibe at the AAP, Jakhar added that the “infighting is entirely internal, yet whenever someone leaves the party, the BJP is blamed for it”.

In a message shared on social media, the Punjab BJP President wrote: “The ED investigation is still underway, and only after the probe is completed will any final conclusion emerge. However, the manner in which Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann hurriedly stated yesterday, immediately after news of the ED raids in Mohali surfaced, that ‘we have nothing to do with this’ has certainly exposed the relationship between the Chief Minister and Punjab AAP President Aman Arora.”

“In fact, the nature of the ‘close relationship’ between the Chief Minister and the state party President was also visible during the May 1 Cabinet meeting. Later, the Chief Minister goes on to blame the BJP whenever someone leaves the AAP,” Jakhar said.

He added that the Chief Minister Mann’s statement on Thursday made it quite clear how deep the differences within the AAP have become.

He said that perhaps the Chief Minister “does not want any leader to remain in the party who could one day emerge as a challenge to him”.

Referring to the May 1 Cabinet meeting, Jakhar added that both Aman Arora and his Cabinet member Sanjeev Arora were specifically humiliated by Chief Minister Mann at the meeting.

He said AAP leaders may continue claiming that they have no connection with the individuals linked to Thursday’s ED raid, but the facts that have come out so far clearly indicate links between those individuals and AAP leaders, including even the Chief Minister’s Office.

He added that Punjab “is now demanding accountability for the alleged loot carried out over the last four years”.

A day after the ED conducted searches on two real estate developers, Punjab Minister Aman Arora blamed the BJP-led Central government for running a politically motivated campaign to malign him through fabricated narratives, selective leaks and misuse of Central agencies.

Arora, whose name figured for close ties with one of the accused realtors, rejected all allegations and termed the entire episode a reflection of the BJP’s “politics of intimidation, arm-twisting and character assassination” aimed at targeting political opponents ahead of state elections.

–IANS

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