Chandigarh-Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Friday accused the Punjab government of shielding corruption and defending individuals involved in alleged land-related scams currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate.
Jakhar said the ED raids on ministers are not aimed at targeting private individuals, but are actions against those accused of grabbing farmers’ land through fraudulent means. He claimed the investigations are focused on cases where land acquired from farmers at extremely low prices was later used to generate massive profits through illegal real-estate activities.
In a statement issued here, the BJP leader said the issue is not limited to ministers Aman Arora or Sanjeev Arora personally, but concerns the alleged misuse of Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions to illegally convert and exploit agricultural land.
Referring to the Mohali case, Jakhar alleged that associates close to Aman Arora were involved in irregularities concerning 30 acres of land in the Suntec City Mohali project and skimming nearly ₹170 crore by under valuing the property. He further alleged that in Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora’s firm Hampton Sky Realty misused nearly 40 acres of land through fraudulent CLU approvals.
Jakhar claimed that land originally allotted for industrial purposes was allegedly diverted for residential colonies. He argued that if industries were never established on the land, it should have reverted to the farmers instead of being commercially exploited for huge profits. According to him, the government had originally acquired the land from farmers at very low prices under the promise of industrial development.
Taking a direct swipe at the Chief Minister, Jakhar said that if the government was truly “kattar imandar , ” it would have acted against the alleged corruption itself instead of defending those involved. He accused the state leadership of portraying itself as helpless only after central agencies stepped in.
He further remarked that after the slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, ” the time for “Sabka Hisaab” — accountability for all — has now arrived. He also alleged that “super ministers” operating from Delhi and allegedly influencing Punjab’s governance would eventually come under investigation as well.
Continuing his criticism, Jakhar accused the Chief Minister of trying to shield associates by portraying them as victims. He questioned why corruption, once described by the Chief Minister as a “cancer, ” was now allegedly being protected by the same government.
Jakhar concluded by saying that the people of Punjab are fully aware of what he described as widespread loot under the AAP government and that the public is now demanding accountability.