Punjab Election 2022: After ED raids on CM Channi's nephew, Congress says not afraid of usual BJP tactics

Responding to the raids on Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew, Congress has claimed that investigation agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Income Tax department are used by the BJP during the elections to discredit parties for electoral gains.

Congress media in-charge Alka Lamba said, "Whenever elections happen, the BJP, wary of being handed an electoral defeat, targets Opposition parties using central agencies like Enforcement Directorate, CBI and IT raids as weapons. We saw this happening in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra as well. In these states, mid-election, the central agencies were used as electoral weapons. We believe that the ED action in Punjab right now is a sign of BJP's growing desperation."

"Earlier too, there were attempts to defame the Channi government in Punjab. But the Congress party is confident that we can thwart the BJP's conspiracies. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to defame the Punjab chief minister; in fact, he even said that he had managed to return alive from Punjab," she further said. 

"Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma went to the extent of saying that the Punjab chief minister must be arrested and jailed. If this is not desperation, then what is? The entire BJP machinery is targeting Punjab Chief Minister Channi. However, the people of the state support him. Congress won't be scared by BJP tactics," she added.

The remarks came shortly after Chief Minister Channi's nephew and several others were raided by Enforcement Directorate officials in connection with the illegal sand mining case. The raids come just weeks before the Punjab assembly elections. Polling in Punjab will happen on February 20. The results will be declared on March 10.

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