The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab leaders and volunteers protested outside the GMADA (Greater Mohali Area Development Authority) office in Mohali against the ED raids, gheraoing the ED (Enforcement Directorate) teams and raising strong slogans against the BJP-led Central Government. A large number of AAP Karyakartas participated in the protest, which was led by AAP Punjab Working President and MLA Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi. The protest echoed with slogans of, “Jab Jab Modi Darta Hai, Police Ko Aage Karta Hai”.

AAP’s Punjab Working President Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi stated, “The election season is approaching in Punjab, but for the BJP it means ‘Enforcement Directorate (ED) season’ because it wants to suppress and put pressure on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They believe that the more they harass AAP, the more our attention will be diverted towards this issue and away from campaigning.”

He continued, “The BJP had also tried to influence the elections in Delhi and is now doing the same thing in Punjab, thinking that just as it won the elections in Delhi, it will win here as well. The BJP wants to ensure that the Aam Aadmi Party government is not formed again in Punjab, because if AAP forms the government again in Punjab, the BJP will feel threatened.”

Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi stated, “Despite prolonged raids and investigations, the Enforcement Directorate has so far found nothing. Just before the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, an attempt is being made to put pressure on the state through the use of Central agencies. As the elections in Punjab are approaching, the Enforcement Directorate’s activity has suddenly increased.”

During the protest, AAP leaders stated that the timing and manner of the ED’s action was merely an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate and threaten government officials. They said that the continuous Enforcement Directorate raids ahead of the elections were a sign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s panic.

Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi said, “The people of Punjab and AAP Karyakartas will not tolerate the BJP’s high-handedness at all.”

Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Thursday hit back at BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu over his claims that he had left Punjab for America, sarcastically saying Bittu had apparently opened a “travel agency” after his own ticket was cut and was now sending Punjab leaders to the US. Taking the BJP head-on over the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) search at his nephew’s house, Mundian said the action had subjected a widow, children and a pregnant woman to harassment, asserting that the BJP was trying to fight elections through fear after failing to generate public enthusiasm. He said Punjabis could not be intimidated through ED raids or threats, declaring, “We are Punjabis and we aren’t afraid.”

Addressing a press conference, Cabinet Minister and AAP Punjab leader Hardeep Singh Mundian said, “I am holding this press conference in Chandigarh, not America,” said Hardeep Singh Mundian, responding to Ravneet Singh Bittu’s remarks. He said Bittu had been claiming since Wednesday that he had gone to the United States. “After his own ticket was cut, it appears that Ravneet Singh Bittu has started a travel agency on Samrala Road and has booked tickets to America for me and my nephew,” he said.

The Cabinet Minister also questioned the manner in which the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted its recent search at his nephew’s residence, saying the family had already faced a tragedy. He said his nephew’s brother had passed away, following which his nephew moved to Ludhiana with his children and started a business to support his family. “The ED search subjected a widow and her young daughter to harassment and intimidation,” Hardeep Singh Mundian said.

He said the search continued from 11 am to 3 pm and that children were questioned about why they lived with him. “Officials told the family to convey to him that he should leave the AAP and that his nephew should stop supporting him because AAP is supposedly the ‘wrong party’. This raises questions about whether the purpose of the action is merely an investigation or also an attempt to exert political pressure,” he noted.

Hardeep Singh Mundian stated a small girl remained hungry and crying for hours during the search and that even a one-month-old baby was not allowed to be fed. “My nephew’s pregnant wife was made to stand for three to four hours without being given an opportunity to sit. When the officials were leaving, the family asked for a written record of what had been recovered from the house. The officials subsequently provided a document stating that nothing had been found apart from old household articles. “If nothing was recovered, why was a family harassed for three to four hours?” he asked.

Taking direct aim at the BJP, the Minister said the BJP is trying to fight elections through fear after failing to generate public enthusiasm at its rallies. “Punjab is not a place where people can be intimidated through ED raids or threats. We are Punjabis and we are not afraid,” he asserted.

Hardeep Singh Mundian said the AAP stands for honesty and that AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Singh Mann are ‘kattar imaandar’ leaders. “If even a single rupee of public money is taken by us, it would be like poison. We are serving Punjab with complete honesty,” he said.

Referring to earlier cases involving AAP leaders, Hardeep Singh Mundian said leaders including Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia had faced prolonged action by central agencies and pointed to subsequent court proceedings in their cases. “The BJP had targeted Delhi’s AAP leadership before the Delhi elections and was now attempting to repeat the same tactics in Punjab,” he added.

Hardeep Singh Mundian said the people of Punjab had already rejected the BJP politically and that the party was now resorting to its agencies because it was worried about the coming elections. “The BJP can use as many agencies and threats as it wants, but the AAP will not be intimidated or abandon its principles,” he said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI and other agencies to intimidate political opponents and target opposition governments.

Addressing a press conference, Dhaliwal said that India has never seen such systematic misuse of agencies, using CBI and ED against political opponents had reached an unprecedented level under the BJP government. He said the BJP is trying to win political battles not by seeking people’s votes but by creating fear, breaking opposition parties and pressuring their leaders.

Referring to the recent ED actions in Punjab, Dhaliwal said the objective was to intimidate AAP leaders and officials and defame the Punjab government. “This is not merely an ED attack on AAP government; this is an attack by Delhi on Punjab,” he said, adding that history had repeatedly shown that attempts to suppress Punjab had met with resistance from its people.

Dhal­i­wal said the same tactics had been used in Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and other parts of the country to target opposition parties and governments, and that the BJP was now attempting to repeat them in Punjab. He asserted that neither AAP leaders nor the people of Punjab would be intimidated or bow before the BJP.

Taking aim at the BJP’s recent ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, Dhaliwal said the response received by the party in Punjab had exposed the gap between its claims and its political acceptance on the ground. He questioned the BJP’s campaign against drugs in Punjab while, according to him, large quantities of drugs were being seized in Gujarat. “If the BJP is serious about a drug-free Punjab, it should take its yatra to Gujarat,” he said.

Dhaliwal said the Bhagwant Mann government had implemented several public welfare schemes and that people continued to support the state government’s work. He also pointed to AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, having faced imprisonment in cases pursued by central agencies, but said that such pressure had not made the party surrender.

He further attacked the BJP over its political strength in Punjab, recalling that the BJP had only two MLAs in the 2022 Assembly elections. He said the party should not assume that the use of agencies could translate into political support in Punjab.

Dhaliwal said AAP would continue its political fight against the BJP and would not be intimidated by ED or any other agency. He invoked Punjab’s history of resisting forces that attempted to suppress the state, asserting that the people of Punjab would give a democratic response to what he described as the BJP’s attack on Punjab.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having realised that Punjab has rejected the BJP, was now using central agencies to take political revenge on Punjabis and create hardship for them ahead of the elections. Senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action had disrupted government work across Punjab for three days, causing severe inconvenience to people, while the searches had yielded nothing. He said the Modi Government’s use of the ED, Income Tax Department and Election Commission against opposition states had become its trademark, but Punjab would not be intimidated and the three crore Punjabis would give the BJP a democratic reply.

In a statement, the AAP has pointed out that PM Modi, having realised that Punjab has rejected the BJP, is now using central agencies to take revenge by causing hardship to Punjabis. “How an agency could bring the functioning of a government authority to a standstill in the name of investigation. The ED operation had continued for more than 36 hours, with the disruption directly affecting the functioning of GMADA. This is an unconstitutional and unprecedented interference in government administration in India’s history,” the party stated.

The AAP noted, “The ongoing ED action at GMADA has effectively disrupted the functioning of a key Punjab development authority for days, with multiple floors sealed, senior officials questioned and official records and devices taken into custody. GMADA is responsible for the planned development and regulation of Greater Mohali, including urban estates, land acquisition, housing, infrastructure and development works, making uninterrupted functioning essential for public projects and citizens.”

Addressing a press conference, senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “Since 2014, the BJP has continuously used central agencies and constitutional institutions against political opponents. Whenever elections approach in a state, central agencies are sent there to target opposition leaders and create an atmosphere of fear. Punjab is witnessing the same pattern today.”

The Minister pointed out, “Over the past two-three days, officials have even entered locked and unoccupied houses by breaking locks. But nothing has been recovered from these premises. If nothing was found, then what was the purpose of breaking into closed houses?”

He said the conduct of officials during searches had also raised serious concerns. “During a raid at the house of a relative of an AAP Minister, ED officers tried to intimidate children and elderly family members. Is this the manner in which a central investigating agency is supposed to function? The use of such pressure tactics cannot frighten the people of Punjab,” he said.

Referring to similar actions in opposition-ruled states, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “We have seen this pattern in Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal as well. Wherever elections are approaching and the BJP sees a strong opposition, central agencies are activated. This is not about investigation alone; it is about creating fear among political opponents.”

Referring to earlier cases involving AAP’s senior leadership, the senior AAP leader said, “The BJP used agencies against the top leadership of AAP, but those cases ultimately failed in court and our leaders were acquitted. The people have seen this pattern and they understand what is happening.”

On concerns surrounding electoral rolls, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Questions are also being raised about the voter lists. Genuine voters are being removed while efforts are being made to create electoral advantage for the BJP. When investigating agencies and constitutional institutions are being questioned in this manner, it raises serious concerns about the functioning of our democratic system.”

He said, “Punjab has always fought for the democratic rights of the country. Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Shaheed Udham Singh and Kartar Singh Sarabha sacrificed their lives for the freedom of India. The Constitution, framed under the leadership of Babasaheb Ambedkar, guaranteed democratic rights to every citizen. Those rights must be protected at every cost.”

The senior AAP leader said the BJP was attempting to create fear in Punjab because people across sections were questioning its policies. “The BJP knows that the people of Punjab are asking questions. Our youth are asking questions, our farmers are asking questions and our traders are asking questions. That is why the BJP is trying to create an atmosphere of fear through central agencies,” he said.

“Punjab will not be intimidated. Punjabis have never bowed before pressure and they will respond to these tactics democratically,” Harpal Singh affirmed.

Taking on the Akali Dal (Badal), Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The questions being raised over the treatment of women at a gurdwara sarai in Anandpur Sahib have further exposed the record of the SAD leadership. The people of Punjab have not forgotten the controversies surrounding sacrilege, firing on protesters and the drug crisis.”

“Political alliances cannot erase these questions. The people of Punjab will decide on the basis of the record of every political party and its leadership,” he said.

Harpal Singh Cheema said the BJP and Akali Dal (Badal) had failed to establish themselves as credible political alternatives in Punjab. “The BJP and Akali Dal (Badal) have become politically irrelevant in Punjab. The Centre is using agencies like ED, CBI and the Income Tax Department as political tools, but these tactics will not work in Punjab,” he said.

The senior AAP leader affirmed, “AAP will neither be intimidated nor retreat from this political fight. Under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, we will continue to stand with the people of Punjab and fight for their rights.”

Harpal Singh Cheema said AAP, under the leadership of national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, would continue to defend the Constitution, democracy, civil liberties and citizens’ rights. “We will continue to mobilise people across the country against every attempt to weaken the constitutional framework established under the leadership of Baba Sahib Ambedkar. The people of India will protect their democracy and constitutional rights,” he said.

Sharing ED’s panchnama of ‘No Recovery’ at an AAP Minister’s nephew’s home, Harpal Singh Cheema stated on X: “The ED has increasingly become a tool of political intimidation. Raids, prolonged questioning and disruption of government offices are now being used to create fear and pressure. Yet allegations are not evidence, and investigations must ultimately stand on what is actually established. Punjab will not be intimidated, coerced or silenced. Punjab is watching. Punjab remembers. And Punjab will answer BJP.”

In another post on X, Harpal Singh Cheema stated: “As elections draw closer, ED raids have intensified across Punjab. Action is being taken at the homes of AAP leaders, workers and officials. These are not just raids; they raise serious questions about the misuse of central agencies. Punjab has never bowed to intimidation, and it never will. Whenever Modi feels threatened, he sends the ED forward.”