Chandigarh, Aug 3 (PTI) Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Sunday slammed the AAP government for the Vigilance Bureau raid on the premises of Ranjit Singh Gill, a day the prominent realtor joined the saffron party.
Addressing a press conference here, Jakhar also accused the Bhagwant Mann-led dispensation of indulging in arm-twisting tactics, saying there is no space for such kind of politics in Punjab.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Saturday raided Gill’s residence in Chandigarh, his office in Kharar and another location.
Gill was inducted into the BJP by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini at his official residence here on Friday evening.
“The AAP government seeks to send a message that whoever goes against the wishes of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, the Vigilance Bureau will carry out raids against them,” Jakhar said.
"Why is it (AAP) doing this? Is it not against democracy? Earlier, he (Gill) was with the Akali Dal. Did the AAP govt not see anything there? As soon as he joins another party, the very next morning they conduct a raid," the BJP leader said.
A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson on Saturday said the searches were conducted at three premises linked to Gillco Developers, a real-estate firm promoted by Gill, in which details of “suspicious” financial transactions running into crores between Gillco and entities linked to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia were uncovered.
Reacting to the VB raids, Gill called it a “political vendetta”, and said he joined the BJP in keeping with the sentiments of the people of his area.
Several BJP leaders, including Saini, also strongly condemned the vigilance action against Gill, accusing the AAP government of indulging in "vendetta politics”.
Hitting out at the AAP government, Jakhar said it talks about ending gangsterism, but far from tackling that, the party itself is acting like a gang.
"They are acting like a political gang. But arm twisting politics does not work in Punjab," he said.
Jakhar also alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has given his government "on contract to his political masters in Delhi led by Arvind Kejriwal".
Stating that the AAP government’s land pooling policy is already facing widespread resentment from the farmers, Jakhar said the vigilance action against Gill is an attempt to politically browbeat the realtor as Gillco Developers is the biggest landholder in Mohali.
"This dispensation is not working like a government. They should get themselves registered like a company because they are not functioning like a government," Jakhar said.
Referring to Mann’s "you reap as you sow" comment on the vigilance raid, the BJP leader said, "I want to tell him that what he too will have to reap what he is sowing today. Those to whom Mann has given his government on contract will not be seen. So, he better discharge his duty like a chief minister.”
Stating that the farmers won’t allow the implementation of the land pooling scheme, Jakhar dubbed Mann’s Saturday’s remark that feedback from all the stakeholders, including farmers, will be taken into account as a joke.
"The government has notified 65,000 acres under land pooling and now the chief minister is saying that he will talk to the farmers," Jakhar said.