Jalandhar: Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on premises linked to Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora, along with the departure of six Punjab MPs from the party, have stirred anxiety within the business community regarding their association with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state.
The raids, which AAP has described as politically motivated ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, occur as the ruling party has been intensively courting industrialists and traders. Party insiders acknowledge that these events could undermine its outreach initiatives. On Friday, Mittal defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alongside five other Punjab MPs, further aggravating concerns among certain business circles. However, AAP's Punjab general secretary dismissed these worries, asserting that the public is well aware of the BJP's tactics.
Before coming to power in Punjab in 2022, AAP primarily built support around emotional issues such as the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the 2020-21 farm protests. After assuming office, the party made a deliberate effort to engage with industry and trade to broaden its political base.
Mittal and Arora were nominated to the Rajya Sabha shortly after the assembly election results, becoming AAP's prominent faces from Punjab's business elite. This move helped the party attract affluent businessmen and industrialists. After resigning from the Rajya Sabha to become a cabinet minister, Arora actively pursued outreach with industrial and trade bodies. Mittal, meanwhile, largely remained out of the political spotlight. The ED raid on Mittal's premises surprised many, given the perception that his family maintained cordial relations across political parties.
His Jalandhar-based Lovely Professional University had previously hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers. Therefore, his shift to the BJP on Friday did not shock many in Punjab.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have repeatedly claimed that their government has fostered a business-friendly environment in the state. They stated that industrial policies were developed in consultation with stakeholders and that long-standing industry demands were addressed.
Traditionally, Punjab's business community has largely aligned with the Congress, with a segment leaning toward the BJP. While AAP has managed to win over some traders and industrialists, political observers suggest that merely dismissing the ED action as vendetta may not suffice to retain that support. The party now faces the dual challenge of countering allegations from the raids and reassuring industry players about stability and governance.
AAP's Response
AAP Punjab general secretary Deepak Bali, himself a businessman, said the intention behind the raids was to create fear among party leaders and supporters but insisted that there was no panic among businesspersons associated with AAP. "We have been meeting business people regularly after the raids and there has been no impact so far. People of Punjab are courageous and will respond befittingly to such threatening tactics," he said.
