Do not need certificate of honesty from anyone: Bhagwant Mann on ED letter to DGP

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann dismissed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) letter to DGP Gaurav Yadav as a creation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He vehemently denied any truth in the allegations made by the federal agency, asserting that he did not need a certificate of honesty from individuals who had looted the state.

This stance came after the ED sought an FIR against private individuals and certain officials, allegedly connected to the chief minister’s office, for influencing government official transfers, postings, arms license approvals, and land deals. Mann attributed the letter to the ED's usual modus operandi of fabricating cases and pointed fingers.

The Chief Minister also criticized the arrest of former AAP co-incharge in Punjab, Satyendar Jain, by Delhi's anti-corruption branch, describing it as a desperate move by the BJP ahead of the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. He further accused the BJP of leveraging central agencies like the ED and CBI to discredit, threaten, and subdue its political rivals in Punjab.

Mann also referenced similar actions taken by the BJP against Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia in New Delhi, and expressed confidence that Jain, who was in jail during the investigation period of the alleged scam, would be released from custody soon, similar to the outcome in Kejriwal's case.