Punjab ED searches: Harpal Cheema targets Centre, AAP stages protest outside GMADA
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of misusing central investigative agencies ahead of the state Assembly elections, following the Enforcement Directorate’s ongoing searches at multiple locations in Punjab.
Speaking to reporters, Cheema said Punjab would not be “intimidated, coerced or silenced” and questioned the ED’s action at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office in Mohali and other premises. AAP workers also staged a protest outside the GMADA office on Thursday, raising slogans against the Union government.
Cheema alleged that the BJP had been using agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department against opposition-ruled states, particularly around elections. He cited Delhi and West Bengal as examples and alleged that similar tactics were now being used in Punjab as the state polls approach.
The ED launched searches on Tuesday at GMADA’s offices and premises linked to Vikas Garg, principal secretary of Punjab’s Housing and Urban Development Department, as part of a money-laundering investigation involving Delhi-based real estate company Tirupati Infraprojects and associated firms. The probe is examining alleged irregularities involving land acquisition, changes in land use, property transactions and dealings between GMADA and private developers.
The searches subsequently expanded to other locations. On Wednesday, ED officials searched a Chandigarh government bungalow in Sector 39 where former Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain often stays. Jain was not present when the agency arrived, and officials reportedly broke open the locks to enter the premises. The agency also searched the residence of Gurpreet Singh Saini, nephew of Punjab minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, in Sahnewal near Ludhiana.
The Punjab government has also approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court over the ongoing ED operation. The court has appointed a warrant officer to monitor the search and seizure proceedings and submit a status report.
According to reports, the ED’s wider investigation covers locations across Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi. The agency is examining GMADA records related to land acquisition and land-use changes, among other transactions. The ED has not publicly disclosed its final findings from the searches.
with inputs from PTI
