Chandigarh, 09 May (H.S.): Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on saturday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government, accusing it of protecting corruption and defending individuals facing investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in alleged land-related scams.

In a statement issued in Chandigarh, Jakhar said the ongoing ED raids were not aimed at targeting private individuals but were focused on those accused of grabbing farmers’ land through fraudulent means. He alleged that land purchased from farmers at extremely low prices was later used for illegal real estate projects to earn massive profits.

Jakhar said the issue was not limited to Punjab ministers Aman Arora or Sanjeev Arora personally, but involved the alleged misuse of Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions for converting agricultural land for commercial purposes. Referring to a case in Mohali, the BJP leader alleged that people close to Aman Arora were involved in irregularities related to nearly 30 acres of land in the Suntec City Mohali project. He claimed that the land was undervalued, causing losses of around 170 crore.

He further alleged that in Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora’s firm Hampton Sky Realty misused nearly 40 acres of land through fraudulent CLU approvals. According to Jakhar, land originally acquired for industrial purposes was later diverted for residential colonies. He argued that if industries were never established on such land, it should have been returned to the farmers instead of being commercially exploited.

Taking a direct swipe at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Jakhar said if the government was truly committed to honesty, it would have acted against corruption on its own instead of defending those under investigation. He accused the state government of portraying itself as helpless only after central agencies stepped in. Jakhar also said that after the slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas,” the time for “Sabka Hisaab” had arrived. He alleged that people influencing Punjab’s governance from Delhi would also face scrutiny in the future.

He concluded by saying that the people of Punjab are aware of what he described as large-scale corruption and are now demanding accountability from the government.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH