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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre, alleging that central investigative agencies are being used as political tools to “murder democracy” by targeting Opposition leaders. His remarks came in the wake of back-to-back raids by the Enforcement Directorate on AAP leaders, including Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, within three days.
‘We won’t bend or break’: Mann hits out at Centre.
Condemning the raids, Mann said neither he nor his party colleagues would be intimidated by such actions. He alleged that the Centre was using agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation to exert pressure on Opposition leaders and to force political alignments. “Do all you want to scare us, we won’t bend or break,” he asserted, claiming that these actions were part of a larger political strategy ahead of elections in Punjab.
Sharp political attack on the BJP leadership
Taking an aggressive tone, Mann said power in the country was concentrated in the hands of a few, naming Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, while also referring to industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani in his criticism. He alleged that the BJP, struggling to expand its political base in Punjab, was resorting to central agencies after failing to strengthen its position through conventional political means.
Claims of democratic institutions under pressure
Mann further argued that the repeated use of central agencies against Opposition leaders reflects a broader pattern of institutional pressure, warning that democracy itself was under threat. He cited developments in other states to question the functioning of democratic systems and called upon citizens to remain vigilant. According to him, such actions create an environment in which political dissent is suppressed, and governance becomes skewed.
The latest exchange marks an escalation in the ongoing Centre–state confrontation in Punjab, with the use of investigative agencies emerging as a central point of political contention.
