Chandigarh, June 9
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Central government of misusing investigative agencies to pressure traders in the state, following fresh Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in a money laundering case involving Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora. In a post on social media platform X, Mann said traders had played a key role in Punjab’s economic growth and described them as the backbone of the state’s development. He alleged that central agencies were being used to harass business owners and exert political pressure on them.
He claimed that attempts were being made to intimidate traders into aligning with the BJP, adding that Punjabis would not accept such tactics. He also reiterated his government’s support for the trading community. The remarks came after the ED carried out searches at multiple locations in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as part of an investigation into an alleged ₹100 crore GST fraud linked to the sale of mobile phones. Officials said raids were conducted at several premises in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, as well as in Bareilly and Noida.
Sanjeev Arora, a senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Ludhiana-based industrialist, was arrested by the ED last month after searches at his official residence in Chandigarh. He is currently in judicial custody.
