Sangrur: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday criticised the BJP a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple locations linked to his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman in an alleged corruption case.
Speaking to reporters in Dhuri, Mann alleged that the BJP uses central investigative agencies against political opponents as elections approach. He claimed that the CBI search, which continued for several hours, did not yield anything incriminating.
The CBI had registered a case against Ghuman and five others following an October 5 Punjab and Haryana high court order directing the agency to investigate allegations flagged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency subsequently conducted searches at eight locations across Punjab and Chandigarh, including Mann’s camp office and premises linked to Ghuman.
Mann alleged that central agencies are increasingly used to target opposition leaders and their associates before elections. He cited previous investigations involving political leaders in different states as examples of what he described as a pattern of political targeting.
Referring to Tuesday’s searches, Mann said the operation lasted around seven to eight hours but, according to him, the agency found nothing objectionable. He questioned what the CBI could find at government premises and said his administration had nothing to hide.
The CBI, however, has said that laptops, mobile phones and documents were seized during the searches and that the material is being examined as part of the investigation into allegations of bribery and other improprieties.
