DW Bureau | Chandigarh:  Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of "weaponising central agencies and misusing institutions like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Income Tax Department and Election Commission to intimidate opposition leaders". 

Citing the nearly 48-hour-long ED raids at multiple locations linked to Moga legislator Amandeep Kaur Arora, Cheema said the central agency returned empty handed without recovering even a penny, once again giving AAP leaders a certificate of 'kattar imaandar' (thoroughly honest). 

He added that the BJP "is trying to engineer defections by luring AAP MLAs with Ministerial positions and Rajya Sabha membership, but Punjab's leaders have refused to bow to such inducements". 

Reaffirming her unwavering loyalty to Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Amandeep Kaur declared that no amount of raids, intimidation or political pressure could silence her or AAP's women leaders, and that she would continue fighting for Punjab and its people. 

"The BJP has developed a pattern of misusing central agencies whenever elections approach in a state. The ED, CBI, the Income Tax Department and even the Election Commission are being used to intimidate opposition leaders, create allegations and build media narratives to malign political parties. The objective is to weaken democratically elected governments and undermine the democratic process," Cheema said. 

Praising Amandeep Kaur for her dedicated work as an MLA over the past five years, the senior AAP leader Cheema said, "The ED conducted raids that continued for nearly 48 hours, but could not recover a single incriminating document or even a penny. This clearly exposes the political nature of the entire exercise. Such prolonged searches, questioning and pressure on an elected representative and her family amount to harassment and violate basic human rights."

He also said, "The BJP is targeting AAP leaders because they stand firmly with Punjab, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. The BJP is also attempting to lure AAP MLAs with offers of Ministerial positions, Rajya Sabha membership and other powerful posts to engineer defections. But our (AAP) leaders are committed to serving the people and cannot be bought through positions or inducements." Condemning the BJP's politics of intimidation and division, the Punjab Finance Minister said the people of the state would give a fitting response to every attempt to weaken democracy, destabilise opposition parties and undermine the people's mandate. 

Meanwhile, Amandeep Kaur, who is party's state Women Wing President said, "The ED conducted raids at multiple locations connected to me and my family. My residence, office, hospital and the homes of my parents, brother and relatives were searched. Officials continued their searches and questioning for nearly 42-48 hours, but ultimately returned without recovering a single document or a penny." She added that the BJP is using central agencies to frighten opposition leaders and force them into joining its ranks, particularly with the Punjab Assembly elections approaching. "Despite making tall claims about women's empowerment and protection, the BJP is targeting women politicians who are working effectively and raising public issues," she said.

--IANS