Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday strongly criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids against AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj. He said the action was meant to divert attention from the ongoing debate about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.
Earlier in the day, the ED searched Bharadwaj’s premises along with those of some private contractors and commercial real estate developers. The raids are linked to a money laundering case in health infrastructure projects during the previous Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi, officials said. In total, 13 locations in the NCR were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"Today a raid was conducted against Saurabh Bharadwaj because since yesterday, there has been a discussion in the whole country that Modi ji's degree is fake. This raid has been carried out to divert attention from it," Mann stated this in a post on X.
"(AAP leader) Satyendar Jain ji was also kept in jail for three years, and later CBI and ED filed a closure report in the court. It is clear from this that all the cases filed against Aam Aadmi Party leaders are fake and false," said the Chief Minister.
The ED probe against Bharadwaj (45) stems from an FIR registered by the Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in June.
The Delhi ACB booked Bharadwaj, his party colleague and ex-health minister Satyendar Jain, private contractors and unknown government officials for alleged corruption in health infrastructure projects by the previous AAP government led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP's Punjab unit president and Cabinet minister Aman Arora also criticised the ED action against Bharadwaj.
"Every time questions are raised about Modi ji, the ED is sent after AAP leaders. Today, a raid was conducted against Saurabh Bharadwaj because the country is discussing Modi ji's fake degree.
"But the truth is that the case dates back to a time when Saurabh wasn't even a minister. This entire matter is fabricated, just like Satyendar Jain's case -- where after keeping him in jail for 3 years, the agencies had to submit a closure report in court. This is proof that all cases against AAP leaders are fake," Arora said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Monday set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) order seeking details of PM Modi’s bachelor’s degree, saying that holding public office does not mean all his personal information should be made public.
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