Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has strongly rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s allegations of 61 instances of alleged wrongdoing linked to the Chief Minister’s Office, calling the claims baseless and accusing the BJP of using central agencies to target political opponents.
Reacting to the ED’s communication to the Punjab Police DGP, Mann said there was “no truth” in what had been written and asserted that he did not need a “certificate of honesty” from anyone.
The ED has reportedly sought registration of an FIR against people allegedly linked to Rajbir Singh Ghuman, OSD to the Punjab Chief Minister. According to the agency’s allegations, the suspected irregularities include interference in transfers and postings, intervention in policy decisions, manipulation in tenders, land-related dealings and issues concerning arms-licence procurement.
The ED letter reportedly details 21 instances of alleged transfers carried out through intermediaries and also mentions alleged payments, kickbacks and other benefits in 11 cases, involving a reported ₹89.55 lakh, apart from alleged hawala transactions. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established by a court.
Mann, however, dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of using investigative agencies as political tools, particularly ahead of elections. He called such a strategy “anti-democratic” and alleged that opposition leaders are targeted before elections.
The Chief Minister also defended AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who was recently arrested, calling the action political vendetta. Mann questioned how Jain could be linked to a Delhi Jal Board tender when, according to his claim, Jain was already in jail when the tender was floated.
The political confrontation between the AAP government and the BJP now comes amid the ED’s allegations concerning the Punjab CMO and Mann’s categorical rejection of them.
At this stage, the ED’s claims are allegations under investigation and do not amount to a finding of guilt.
