The early morning Enforcement Directorate raid at the residence and offices of its Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh has sparked a fear in the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, the searches coming a day after the federal agency issued summons to party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the Delhi liquor scam case. The AAP has alleged a conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal post questioning on November 2. In Punjab, ED has already questioned three officials in connection with Punjab’s excise policy. The CBI has also sought prosecution sanction for two officials under section 17 A from the state government in the excise policy case. The government is sitting over the communication and has not responded yet. A senior official said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was planning to go to Delhi to express solidarity with Kejriwal on Wednesday. “With the ED raiding the MLA, who is associated with liquor vends in Punjab, the equation has changed. The proverbial Damocles sword is hanging over the heads of several officials and at least minister. We are watching the developments,” said the official. Last year, the ED had questioned three officials of Punjab government. They had conducted search and seize operations at the residences of Excise and Taxation Commissioner Varun Roojam and Joint Commissioner Naresh Dubey. The officials were involved in framing the excise policy of the state, wherein two companies, whose promotors were named as accused in the Delhi excise policy case have also got the wholesale licences (L1) to sell liquor in Punjab. It is also alleged that these persons were present at the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia when the Punjab policy was framed. Congress leader Partap singh Bajwa, meanwhile took a dig at the AAP. “The true colours of the Punjab government's legislators and ministers have eventually started getting unmasked. With ED raids at the premises of Mohali's AAP MLA, affluent legislators of the party that was falsely promoted as a pro-common man's party, stand exposed. AAP supremo Kejriwal has been summoned by the ED.Moreover, the excise policy of the Punjab government is already under scanner. The Centre seems to have started tightening the noose around the pseudo-aam aadmis of Punjab,” Bajwa wrote on X.
