Chandigarh [India], May 10 : Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP following the ED raid on Punjab AAP leaders, adding that successive governments in the past, both at the Centre and in the states, have tried to misuse agencies to target their respective political rivals.
Speaking to ANI, Tewari said, "Since the BJP took over the centre in 2014, they have been misusing the ED, CBI, and Income Tax on political rivals. But the irony is that those who are voicing against this misuse today should see what they have been doing in the states. Introspection should be done on this as well."
"It's unfortunate that when a party is in power at the Centre or the state, it tries to target its political rivals. When targeted themselves, they cry vendetta, but when others are targeted, they say the law is taking its own course. The opposition should gather and form a public opinion because this practice is destroying democracy," he added.
Commenting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue, Tewari said, "I had said this in the Parliament in 2025 as well that, according to the Constitution and law, the Election Commission has no right to conduct a pan-state SIR."
His remarks came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids on Saturday at multiple locations linked to Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with an ongoing alleged Rs 100 crore money laundering probe.
Earlier, the Gurugram sessions court granted a seven-day remand of Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) presented him before the court on Saturday in a money laundering case linked to alleged fraudulent Goods and Services Tax (GST) transactions over Rs 100 crore.
Arora was sent to the ED custody hours after the agency arrested him on May 9 from Chandigarh and produced before the court at 11.20 pm by the agency officers for seeking custodial interrogation.
Arora was arrested following a day-long search at his four premises, including his residence, his associated entities, and one office premises belonging to Hampton Sky Realty Limited (HSRL), which is also under the agency's scanner in the case.
Meanwhile, Hampton Sky Realty Limited issued an official statement in response to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action and Arora's arrest, asserting that it has "full faith in the judiciary and the legal process."