Chandigarh: Gurdaspur MP and former deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of misusing government agencies to target political opponents.
Allegations of 'Operation Lotus' and 'Operation Mann'
Randhawa alleged that while the BJP was running 'Operation Lotus' through the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the national level, the Bhagwant Mann-led government in Punjab was running 'Operation Mann' through the state vigilance bureau. He claimed that both parties followed the same pattern of using investigative agencies for political vendetta.
Congress leader's remarks
The Congress leader said both the BJP and the AAP were using investigative agencies to intimidate and suppress political opponents. He alleged that just as the ED functioned at the behest of BJP leaders at the Centre, the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) and vigilance bureau were acting according to the political agenda of the state government. Randhawa expressed that he considered the vigilance bureau to be just as guilty as the ED in this regard.
Reference to 2022 incident
Referring to events from September 2022, Randhawa said that at that time, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema had approached the DGP along with 11 MLAs, accusing BJP leaders of carrying out 'Operation Lotus'. He questioned why, if the AAP had evidence of an alleged Rs 25 crore offer from BJP leaders, no BJP leader had been arrested to date. Randhawa demanded that Chief Minister Mann should ensure that an FIR is registered against the concerned BJP leader.
Randhawa's accusations come amid ongoing political tensions in Punjab, with both the ruling AAP and opposition BJP denying any wrongdoing. The Congress leader's statements have added fuel to the ongoing debate over the misuse of investigative agencies in the country.
