CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched a sharp political attack against the Union Government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) search operation at his Chandigarh camp office. CM Mann asserted that the federal probe agency’s action—occurring in the run-up to the state Assembly elections—signals the ruling party’s desperation over the growing public support for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration. He cautioned that the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would continue to be deployed as political tools to malign his government and his personal standing.
In his official statement, CM Mann emphasized that the BJP has historically sidelined the interests of Punjab, citing long-standing friction over the farmers’ protests, state water allocations, and administrative jurisdiction over Panjab University. “Seeing the love and support I am receiving from the people, the BJP is rattled,” Mann stated, adding that Punjabis have never submitted to high-handedness.
Lending strong support to the Chief Minister, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal noted that the raids highlight electoral panic within the central leadership. Kejriwal declared that since the BJP cannot win Punjab through democratic means, it is seeking to contest via law enforcement agencies. He expressed confidence that the electorate would respond by securing over 100 seats for CM Bhagwant Mann in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Top party leaders, including Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and State Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora, collectively condemned the search operations. Pointing out that the CBI moved within 24 hours without awaiting a Supreme Court hearing on the matter, the party announced it will mount a coordinated resistance legally, in Parliament, and on the streets to safeguard democratic principles.
