Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora launched a scathing attack on the BJP on Monday, accusing the saffron party of politicizing the grenade attack at the residence of former BJP Minister Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar. Arora lashed out at BJP state president Sunil Jakhar, calling his allegations against the Bhagwant Mann Government “baseless, irresponsible, and dangerously misleading”.
 
Arora, lauding the swift response by the Punjab Police, which arrested two accused within 12 hours of the incident, said that initial investigation revealed the attack was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, a known criminal with links to both Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
 
“Jakhar should have commended the police for their efficiency instead of spewing political venom. His remarks only serve to demoralize our forces and mislead the public,” said Arora. He further questioned whether the BJP was genuinely interested in Punjab’s welfare or playing into the hands of destabilizing forces.
 
Raising serious concerns, Arora accused the BJP-led Central Government of shielding Lawrence Bishnoi by keeping him in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail under Section 268(1) of CrPC, which restricts his transfer. “Despite being under central custody, Bishnoi is freely conspiring with ISI-backed elements like Shehzad Bhatti. The viral video of their meeting is proof of this dangerous nexus,” Arora said.
 
Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat, who visited Kalia's residence, assured strict action against the culprits. “The CM is personally monitoring the case. We will not spare anyone,” he declared. Bhagat also echoed Arora’s concerns, accusing Bishnoi and Bhatti of planning attacks to disrupt Punjab’s peace and blaming BJP for indirectly enabling this threat.
 
AAP leader Deepak Bali, too, reinforced these claims, stating that Bishnoi, with support from Pakistan-based Bhatti, is spreading terror across Punjab while enjoying protection from the Centre. “These forces aim to divide Punjab on religious lines, but the AAP government stands united against them,” Bali said.
 
Arora concluded with a reminder of the unsolved murders during previous Akali-BJP and Congress regimes, contrasting it with the Mann Government’s decisive law-and-order approach. “Unlike our predecessors, we act. We do not play politics with Punjab’s security,” he said, urging BJP to stop exploiting sensitive issues for electoral mileage.