Chandigarh:
Punjab Finance Minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Harpal Singh Cheema today launched a sharp attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over its statements regarding a communication between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Punjab Director General of Police (DGP).
Addressing a press conference, Cheema alleged that the Akali Dal had abandoned its principles and was now acting as a spokesperson for the BJP and central investigative agencies. He claimed that the ED communication addressed to the DGP was being used by the SAD to target and defame the AAP government.
Cheema further accused the SAD of functioning as an extended political wing of the BJP and attempting to regain lost political ground. Recalling the SAD-BJP government’s tenure from 2007 to 2017, he alleged that Punjab suffered from the drug menace, corruption and other serious issues during that period.
The minister also targeted the BJP-led Central Government, alleging that agencies such as the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department were being used against opposition leaders and elected state governments. He accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions and said central agencies were being used to intimidate political opponents.
Cheema said the people of Punjab were aware of the political alliance between the SAD and BJP and would not be misled by what he described as “political stunts”. He maintained that neither the ED nor the Akali Dal would be able to derail the AAP government’s governance agenda in Punjab.
