Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said his Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Rajbir Singh Ghuman, was ready to join the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation if he received the summons.
Mann made the statement while speaking to mediapersons. He was asked why Ghuman did not appear before the CBI on Wednesday after being called to the agency's office in Chandigarh.
Responding to the question, Mann said the summons had not been served on Ghuman. He said that if the summons were received, his OSD was prepared to appear before the investigating agency.
Ghuman has been named as an accused in a case registered by the CBI. The agency had asked him to appear at its Sector 30 office in Chandigarh on Wednesday afternoon. However, he did not appear before the CBI that day.
The case is linked to allegations of corruption involving the Punjab Chief Minister's Office. The CBI registered the case following directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
During his interaction with the media on Thursday, Mann was also asked about the CBI's action at his camp office.
Mann alleged that the development was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's election strategy in Punjab. He referred to previous action by central agencies against political leaders and said similar action had taken place in states ahead of elections.
Mann cited the Enforcement Directorate's action against people close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before the West Bengal elections. He also referred to the arrests of Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in Delhi before elections there.
He further said that a similar pattern was followed in Chhattisgarh and Haryana.
When asked about the fact that the CBI case was registered on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mann questioned the manner in which the proceedings had taken place.
He alleged that the entire process had been planned and executed and said that the development was politically motivated.
Mann also defended his government's record on tackling corruption. He said the AAP government had taken steps to bring government systems online with the aim of increasing transparency in governance.
He further said that AAP leaders and workers did not come from political families and claimed that they did not understand how to align their businesses with government policies.
Mann rejected the allegations against his government and its leaders, calling them baseless.
The latest statement comes as the CBI investigation into the alleged corruption case continues. Ghuman's appearance before the agency is now linked to whether he receives the summons, according to Mann's statement.
The CBI case and the allegations surrounding the Chief Minister's Office remain under investigation. Mann has denied the allegations and accused the BJP of using central agencies for political purposes.