Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab affairs in-charge, Manish Sisodia, has launched a sharp attack on the Enforcement Directorate and the BJP over the agency's 50-hour-long search and surveillance operation at the office of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). The operation ended this afternoon.
Sisodia did not hold back. He said the ED officials "only eat, drink and call for mattresses" during the raid. He also said the agency should be renamed from Enforcement Directorate to PM Modi's "Employed Dacoits."
Sisodia Calls ED Raid a BJP "War Against Punjabis"
Sisodia directly linked the GMADA raid to politics in poll-bound Punjab. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared a war against Punjab and Punjabis after the BJP failed to find any traction among voters.
In his view, the raid is not about any genuine investigation. It is, he claims, part of a larger political push by the BJP as elections approach in the state.
BJP's Nasha Mukt Yatra and the Empty Chairs Claim
Sisodia pointed to the BJP's own public events to make his case. He said the PM sent his party president Nitin Nabin to start a Nasha Mukt Yatra in the poll-bound Punjab.
According to Sisodia, this yatra failed to get any public response. He claimed that even during the BJP president's programme, two-thirds of the chairs remained vacant. He further said the yatra cannot even garner the support of 400 people each day.
- Sisodia alleged the ED raid at GMADA was politically motivated
- He said the BJP's Nasha Mukt Yatra got no public response
- He claimed two-thirds of chairs were empty at the BJP president's event
- He said the yatra fails to gather even 400 supporters daily
Our Take: A Political Fight, Not a Legal One
To put it plainly, this is less about the ED's findings and more about the political battle in Punjab. Sisodia's language is extreme — calling a central agency "Employed Dacoits" is not normal political criticism. It shows how heated the ground has become ahead of the polls.
In our view, two things stand out. First, the ED's 50-hour operation at a state development authority office is a serious action, and the agency has not publicly explained what it found. Second, the BJP has not yet responded to Sisodia's specific claims about the yatra's crowd size.
What does this mean for readers in Punjab? It means the election campaign is now being fought over central agencies, not just local issues. Voters should watch whether the ED files any case after this raid — or whether the operation ends without follow-up. That will tell us if this was investigation or politics.
Sisodia's remarks will likely energize AAP's base. But they also raise a question he has not answered: if the ED found nothing, why did the search last 50 hours? Until that is clear, both sides will keep trading charges.
