CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President Aman Arora on Wednesday has refuted the letters sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Punjab police seeking registration of an FIR in the alleged “cash-for-transfer” and land fraud case.
Arora said the ED has failed to provide substantial evidence against him and other AAP leaders.
“If there is evidence, present it. Let the investigation happen properly. But this politics of selective notices and newspaper headlines will not work,” the AAP Punjab president added.
Talking to the media, Arora said that the BJP’s larger aim is to create chaos, intimidate political leadership and keep government officers under pressure, making it difficult for the Punjab government to function effectively.
"The repeated communications sent by the ED to the Punjab DGP, including its latest letter seeking registration of an FIR under Section 66 (2), reflected the ‘desperation and frustration’ of the BJP-led Central Government", Arora said.
"The Punjab police had already written to the ED on August 28, seeking complete documentary and electronic evidence in support of the allegations,’’ he said.
Arora said, “The Punjab police has clearly told the ED that the material provided so far is either unclear...and that complete evidence, documents and electronic data seized during searches should be provided so that a proper investigation can be conducted."
The AAP leader said ED was asked to send an officer with the relevant material on September 1, but no such officer has appeared.
Arora pointed out that the ED is deliberately floating his name along with other AAP leaders such as Sanjeev Arora and Lal Chand Kataruchak in the media without establishing any wrongdoing. He also noted that attempts are being made to reach him through his long-time friend Gaurav Dhir.
Arora also questioned the ED’s reliance on FIRs connected with the case, stating that the relevant FIRs had already been quashed by the High Court. “If the FIR itself has been quashed, what basis remains for the ECIR?” he asked.
“If your investigation is genuine, investigate everyone. Call all those who were responsible from 2012 onwards. Then the truth will emerge,” Arora said.
Taking potshots at the functioning of central agencies, Arora recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of CBI during his tenure as Gujarat's chief minister, when he had described the agency as a “parrot” of the central government.
Arora said, “Today, I agree 100 per cent with what Modi had said then. Whether it is the ED, CBI or other central agencies, they are functioning like the BJP-led government’s parrots."
