Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 24 (ANI): Launching a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in the state, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Baltej Pannu on Thursday alleged that the ED was "roaming around in Punjab like dacoits" to intimidate leaders and officials ahead of upcoming elections in the state.
In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Pannu said, "Ahead of the Punjab elections, ED teams have been conducting raids on the homes of officials, Aam Aadmi Party leaders, and workers since yesterday. Narendra Modi is terrified. This is Modi's fear. He has realized that the people of the country have started to hate him," Pannu wrote.
Escalating his offensive, Pannu added, "Now the ED is going house to house in Punjab, vandalizing people's homes. Modi's ED is roaming around in Punjab like dacoits. Punjab will not tolerate such oppression and coercion."
Pannu's remarks came as the Aam Aadmi Party announced that its cadres will 'gherao' ED teams across the state today, protesting against the ongoing raids at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office in Mohali.
Backing the agitation, senior AAP leader and Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also accused the BJP-led Central government of using federal investigators as political weapons whenever an election approaches.
Taking to social media platform X, Cheema wrote, "As elections draw closer, ED raids have intensified across Punjab. Action is being taken at the homes of AAP leaders, workers and officials. These are not just raids; they raise serious questions about the misuse of central agencies."
"Punjab has never bowed to intimidation, and it never will. Whenever Modi feels threatened, he sends the ED forward," the Punjab Minister added.
Raising serious questions over the raid, the Aam Aadmi Party in a statement alleged that the Union government is systematically weaponising central investigative agencies to exert pressure and intimidate administrative officials ahead of upcoming elections in the state.
The party claimed that despite extensive raids, the ED has failed to unearth anything incriminating at the GMADA premises.
"Despite lengthy raids, the ED has found nothing so far. The timing and manner of the ED's action is merely an attempt to intimidate officials and disrupt the state administration," the party stated.
Directly targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government, the AAP alleged that federal agencies become disproportionately active whenever elections approach in the state.
"Continuous ED raids before elections are a clear sign of Modi's frustration," the party said.
Issuing a stern warning against the federal action, the AAP declared that the state will resist coercive measures, adding, "Punjab will not tolerate the BJP's high-handedness." (ANI)
"Modi's ED roaming around in Punjab like dacoits": AAP's Baltej Pannu hits out at Centre over ED raids in Punjab
