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Political tensions intensify in Punjab as rival parties trade charges over alleged influence-peddling and governance.
A sharp verbal slugfest has erupted between the Aam Aadmi Party government and the opposition in Punjab over the Enforcement Directorate’s allegations of an alleged transfer and posting racket involving Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty Rajbir Singh Ghuman, with both sides trading charges even as the agency has sought registration of a criminal case. The controversy has widened further with retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh making a separate allegation against Mann’s wife, Gurpreet Kaur. Justice Singh has accused her of allegedly seeking Rs 5 crore to help a person accused in a rape case. The allegation, however, remains unsubstantiated and has not been established by any court. The two issues are separate.
The ED’s allegations concern Ghuman and an alleged network influencing transfers, postings and other government decisions, while the allegation against Gurpreet Kaur has been made separately by the retired judge and is not part of the ED’s reported case against Ghuman. The ED has written to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav seeking registration of a criminal case against Ghuman, businessman Nitin Gohal and Bir Devinder. According to the agency, Ghuman was allegedly leading a network that influenced transfers and postings of government officials, including IAS and IPS officers. The agency has alleged that Gohal acted as an intermediary between people seeking government favours and Ghuman. It has also flagged allegations concerning the leaking of confidential government documents, influencing transfers and postings, facilitating arms licences and securing government approvals in return for alleged monetary or other benefits.
The ED has reportedly referred to more than 20 officers in its communication to the Punjab Police and flagged what it described as multiple instances of alleged wrongdoing involving the functioning of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office. The allegations have triggered a fierce political exchange. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia has demanded action on the ED communication and called for a CBI investigation. He has alleged that the matter raises serious questions about the functioning of the Chief Minister’s Office and the alleged influence exercised over government postings. The AAP government has rejected the allegations. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has accused the opposition of turning an ED communication into a political weapon against the state government. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also hit back at the BJP and the ED, describing the allegations as baseless and accusing the Centre of using investigating agencies to target political opponents. Ghuman, meanwhile, has challenged his political opponents to produce evidence against him. He has said that if anyone has evidence showing that he demanded money from anyone, it should be made public, and has threatened legal action over what he described as defamatory allegations.
The ED communication has not, by itself, established criminal liability against Ghuman or the other persons named. The Punjab DGP has sought inputs from the Bureau of Investigation before deciding the next course of action. The controversy has also brought renewed attention to earlier ED investigations involving Ghuman’s alleged associates. The agency has been investigating alleged irregularities connected with the Suntec City project in Mohali, including allegations of forged consent documents and irregularities in obtaining change of land use permissions. According to the ED, fake consent letters bearing forged signatures and thumb impressions of landowners were allegedly used in relation to 30.5 acres belonging to 15 landowners. The agency has also filed a prosecution complaint against Ajay Sehgal, secretary of the Indian Cooperative House Building Society and promoter of Suntec City, alleging money laundering of nearly Rs 348 crore.