Punjab VB raids premises of former SAD leader soon after he joins BJP
However, no official statement regarding the operation was issued by the VB. On the other hand, BJP leader Subhash Sharma defended Gill, criticising the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP govt for "vindictive politics". The searches followed Gill's joining of the BJP on Friday.
On Saturday morning, VB sleuths carried out raids at Gill's residence in Chandigarh and his office in Kharar, Mohali. Officials also seized documents from his office for further examination.
As the news of the VB raids on Gill's premises spread, the BJP Mohali district team held a protest against the Bhagwant Mann-led government and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner's representative. BJP district president Sanjeev Vashisht alleged that Ranjit Singh Gill, who was being pressured by the Bhagwant Mann government to join the Aam Aadmi Party, decided to join the BJP instead. "Immediately after his decision, the vigilance department raided his premises, which is clearly a politically motivated action," he said.
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Gill recently withdrew from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He was previously known to be a trusted associate of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Gill had contested unsuccessfully from the Kharar Assembly constituency in the 2017 and 2022 Punjab assembly elections.
Upon joining the BJP on Friday, Gill expressed support for the party's initiatives under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. The joining ceremony took place at Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini's residence.
Further, Vashisht stated that the BJP strongly condemned such acts of revenge and authoritarian actions. The BJP clarified that such actions would be opposed at every level to protect democracy and justice in Punjab. "The Bhagwant Mann-led government failed on all fronts and is now misusing the vigilance department to intimidate its political opponents, which is extremely dangerous for democracy," said the BJP leader.
He stated that the BJP would not be intimidated by such actions.
Raid driven by political vendetta: BJP
Ashwani Sharma, Punjab BJP's state working president, stated that the AAP had been pressuring Ranjit Singh Gill for the past 15 days to join their party. However, when Gill did not agree and instead joined the BJP – considering phenomenal national development and Punjab's future – the AAP-led Punjab government orchestrated a VB raid against him out of political vendetta.
Sharma further claimed that the VB raid occurring within just 12 hours of Gill joining the BJP proved that the AAP now recognized the BJP as its principal political alternative in Punjab for the 2027 elections.
Sharma added that CM Mann and the AAP government should remember that Punjabis feared no one. "Punjabis have now realized that the Punjab government is actually run by Delhi leaders Kejriwal and Sisodia, who are looting Punjab," he said.
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