CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership has banded together behind Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann following a CBI raid conducted at his official camp office in Chandigarh. Addressing the media and issuing public statements, CM Bhagwant Mann and senior party officials framed the raid as the formal launch of the BJP’s poll campaign using investigative agencies, attributing the action to frustration over the state government’s performance in free electricity, water, healthcare, and education over the past four and a half years.
Chief Minister Mann stated that having repeatedly failed to address the core demands of Punjab—ranging from agricultural security to state resource rights—the Union government is now resorting to coercive measures against an elected Chief Minister. He asserted that such steps reflect a complete lack of political footing for the BJP across the state’s grassroots.
AAP Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia termed the raid an act of panic, while Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema highlighted the haste of the central agency in carrying out the search ahead of pending judicial proceedings. Cheema reiterated that the three crore citizens of Punjab stand firmly behind CM Mann and will reject attempts at political intimidation.
Further criticizing the Centre, Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj and National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda argued that the BJP is attempting to replicate its Delhi political playbook in Punjab by filing cases against opposition figures. They cautioned that the electorate in Punjab will not tolerate coercion and will deliver a decisive verdict at the ballot box.
