Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday accused the BJP of misusing central investigative agencies to target opposition leaders ahead of elections, a day after the CBI raided his officer-on-special duty (OSD) in a corruption case.
Mann claimed that the CBI found nothing incriminating during the raids, which were conducted at several locations, including his "camp office", following directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
"It is the BJP's way of working. Whenever elections are due, they start harassing opposition leaders, their associates or family members through raids months in advance," Mann told reporters in Dhuri, Sangrur.
The CBI on Tuesday registered a corruption case involving Mann's OSD and other officials after the high court directed the agency to investigate allegations against them.
The court had earlier observed that material provided by the Enforcement Directorate prima facie indicated the officials' involvement in acts of corruption.
Mann said the raid lasting "7-8 hours" did not yield anything.
"From yesterday's raid, it shows they (BJP) are rattled. They did not find anything during the raid. What will they get from us? We have not come here to indulge in corrupt practices," he said.
The AAP leader cited the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, as well as action against opposition leaders in West Bengal and Haryana, to allege that central agencies were being used for political purposes before elections.
"Maybe the CBI will now give us a clean chit and tell (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi that nothing will be found from here and not to waste our time," Mann said.
He also accused the BJP of attempting to defame him, his family and his government, and asserted that the Punjab government was not afraid of the investigation. "We are not scared of investigation. We will face it," he said.
Mann questioned the timing of the CBI raids, saying they were conducted within 24 hours of the high court order.
"Do they work only on the cases which are filed yesterday? There are so many old cases," he said.
The chief minister also alleged that the Centre was trying to arm-twist Punjab through its agencies and said people in the state would not accept such pressure.
"Have we come here to take money from transfers? This is the allegation they make. They did not find anything. There is no WhatsApp chat, and there is nothing," he said.
On the drug menace, Mann hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his claim that drugs would be eliminated by December 2029. He alleged that drugs were entering Punjab through Gujarat and Rajasthan, both BJP-ruled states.
"You should end drugs in Delhi and Gujarat. You have the BSF at the border, and it comes under Amit Shah," Mann said.
Mann also claimed that the BJP's anti-drug campaign in Punjab had failed, contrasting it with the large gatherings at the AAP government's Lok Milni programmes.
(With inputs from PTI)
