BJP, AAP two sides of same coin, both use arm-twisting tactics against opponents: Cong

The Congress on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were two sides of the same coin, and alleged that both use arm twisting tactics and intimidation against their political opponents. The party also said that Enforcement Directorate raids on AAP minister Sanjeev Arora and his subsequent arrest have once again highlighted serious corruption allegations against the AAP.Speaking on the sidelines of a party meeting, Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel alleged that while the BJP uses Central agencies like the ED at the national level, the AAP uses the Vigilance Bureau against its political opponents in the state.Baghel was replying to a question over the arrest of Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate. Replying to another question, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the BJP and the AAP were playing games to befool people of Punjab. He said it was strange that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had been leveling serious allegations against the BJP but was not taking any action against the party. Mann had linked the recent blats in state to BJP saying it was part of the party’s strategy ahead of 2027 Assembly polls. On Arora’s arrrest, Warring said that earlier the ED raided another Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and soon after he joined the BJP. At the same time, he said, AAP was meeting its match in the BJP given the way the AAP government had misused the Vigilance and police in Punjab against its political opponents. “BJP is doing the same thing with the AAP. People of Punjab will not be carried away or misled by these games of the AAP and the BJP and they will only trust those who have governed and administered Punjab well in the past,” he said.Story continues below this ad Warring added that the Congress party will “neither be intimidated by the ED of the BJP and nor the vigilance bureau of the AAP”. He said, each and every Congress worker was prepared for the decisive battle ahead in 2027 assembly elections. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, meanwhile, questioned the timing of the ED action against Arora, saying that if there was sufficient evidence, steps should have been taken earlier. He said delayed action raises concerns about fairness in the the use of central agencies. Bajwa demanded transparency and accountability from both the Punjab government and the Centre, and said justice should be ensured without bias. Saying that the case is not an isolated one, Bajwa claimed that several senior AAP leaders and individuals close to the state government have faced investigations. “AAP leaders often term such actions as political vendetta instead of addressing the allegations,” the Congress leader alleged, and asked why senior AAP leaders frequently come under investigation. Congress to hold ‘yatras’ in all 117 Assembly segmentsStory continues below this ad Bhagel, meanwhile, announced that the party will hold yatras in all the 117 assembly of Punjab. “Three-day yatras wil be held in each constituency, reaching out to maximum number of people talking to them, knowing about their issues and problems and their expectations,” he said. He said that there were suggestions that the Leader of Opposition should attend the concluding programme of the yatras once these are wrapped up. Before that, he announced, the party will also bring out a charge-sheet against the AAP government in the state. Bhagel disclosed that, during the meeting, the party discussed the sorry state of affairs prevailing in Punjab, particularly the widespread corruption and deteriorating law and order situation that nobody was feeling secure.Story continues below this ad To a question on the bomb blasts taking place in Punjab, he said, both the state and centre governments were responsible and the onus was on them only.