CHANDIGARH, April 25 — Member of Parliament Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer affirmed on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting to stifle democracy by deploying central agencies against opposition figures across India. The senior AAP leader maintained that the recent wave of raids on party members in Punjab serves as evidence of a strategy aimed at fracturing the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of upcoming electoral contests.
Addressing the media, Hayer declared that the BJP’s approach involves a dual strategy of intimidation through the ED and CBI combined with the lure of political office. He stated that this trend is visible in the current composition of Parliament and the Punjab BJP, where veteran workers have been replaced on the front benches by recent defectors from the Congress party.
“For the past 12 years, the BJP has been following the same model across the country to strangulate democracy,” Hayer stated. He noted that the transition of leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma and Ajit Pawar into the BJP fold resulted in the sudden dismissal of longstanding corruption allegations. He maintained that while this tactic might be effective elsewhere, the character of Punjab is defined by a spirit of resistance that remains immune to such pressure.
The MP voiced sharp criticism regarding the absence of Raghav Chadha during recent party crises. Hayer asserted that Chadha abandoned the organization while senior leaders and grassroots workers faced police action on the streets. He noted that Chadha’s failure to even acknowledge Arvind Kejriwal’s legal relief via social media raises suspicions that he is now acting at the behest of the central authorities.
The senior leader stated that the raids involving Sanjeev Arora and Ashok Mittal would not achieve the desired results for the Union Home Minister. He maintained that the AAP remains resilient, referencing the refusal of Delhi-based leaders to yield to similar tactics. Hayer asserted that figures like Sunil Jakhar and Ravneet Bittu are aware of Punjab’s principled history but have chosen to remain silent due to a desire for power. He concluded that the BJP’s reliance on oppressive politics will eventually lead to its decline in the region.
