The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at the premises of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Rajya Sabha member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora as part of an alleged land fraud case, sources said.
The raids triggered a sharp reaction from AAP with party chief Arvind Kejriwal terming them part of “a politically motivated agenda” aimed at dismantling the party.
He also alleged that the searches at Mr. Arora’s premises were an attack on his party and its leaders by the “Modi government” and that the agency’s actions had nothing to do with investigating graft allegations.
Hitting back, the BJP said if the AAP leaders feel that the ED raids are politically motivated, they should move the court instead of holding press conferences.
Meanwhile, Mr. Arora said in a post on X, “I am a law-abiding citizen, am not sure about the reason for the search operation, will cooperate fully with agencies and make sure all their queries are answered.” He runs an export house in Ludhiana and has been in charge of Krishna Pran Breast Cancer Charitable Trust since 2005. Mr. Arora became an MP in 2022 after AAP swept the Punjab Assembly election earlier that year.
The allegation against Mr. Arora is that he transferred land to his company in a deceitful manner, said an ED source. He added that searches were conducted in Jalandhar at an address registered in the MP’s name.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Today, they are conducting an ED raid on Sanjeev Arora. Before this, they arrested me, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and others. It is not a probe against corruption. It is an attempt by the Prime Minister to crush one party using every resource, agency, and power at his disposal.”
Published – October 08, 2024 01:33 am IST