Chandigarh, Aug 2 (PTI) The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Saturday raided the premises of former Akali leader and prominent realtor Ranjit Singh Gill here, a day after he joined the BJP.
Several BJP leaders, including Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, condemned the action against Gill, accusing the AAP government of indulging in “political vendetta.” Gill was inducted into the BJP by Saini at his official residence here on Friday night.
Vigilance bureau sleuths raided Gill’s residence in Chandigarh, his office in Mohali’s Kharar and another location.
The bureau said the searches were conducted in furtherance of investigations into the disproportionate assets case registered against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
While the Haryana chief minister accused the AAP government of trying to suppress the voice of people, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, “Jo karange so bharange” (What you sow, so shall you reap).
A spokesperson of the bureau said searches were conducted at three premises linked to Gillco Developers, a real estate firm promoted by Gill.
During the searches, the bureau uncovered details of “suspicious” financial transactions running into crores of rupees between Gillco Developers and the entities linked with Majithia. Further investigations are ongoing, said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said after registration of the FIR against Majithia, certain “suspicious” financial links and transactions between Gillco Developers and some of the entities had come to notice.
“These were developed in a meticulous manner by conducting investigations. To conduct further in-depth inquiries into these transactions and to gather relevant evidence, the bureau has conducted these searches in accordance with the procedure established by law,” said the spokesperson.
“Several incriminating documents, electronic devices and other evidence have been seized in the ongoing searches,” he said.
Reacting to the raids, Gill called it a “political vendetta”. He said he came into the BJP fold keeping in mind the sentiments of the people of his area.
“The people are of the opinion that Punjab cannot progress without the support of the Centre,” he said, adding that this is why he decided to join the BJP.
Reacting to some transactions with entities linked to Majithia, he said, “I want to say it was a 2012 entry, and it was a legal entry between two companies. It was recorded in the income tax records.” “I have complete trust in courts and I will get justice,” he added.
The bureau arrested Majithia on June 25 in the disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of Rs 540 crore of “drug money”.
Haryana chief minister Saini said the Mann government was not working for the welfare of the people, but trying to suppress their voice.
“After Gill joined the BJP, the AAP government sent a VB team to his residence,” said Saini while speaking to reporters in Panchkula.
“This (AAP government) is not working for the welfare of people. Rather, it is trying to suppress their voice. But this is India, Mann saab, the people of India pushed Britishers out… How can you suppress their voice?” he said.
Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma said the Punjab government was rattled as Gill decided to join the BJP and not the AAP.
“After Gill quit the SAD, the AAP pressurised him to join, but he decided to come into the BJP’s fold,” said Sharma.
“We want to tell Mann that he cannot stop the BJP from increasing its footprint,” he added.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh too condemned the operation and accused the AAP government of misusing police against political rivals.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Neel Garg questioned the BJP’s late-night induction of Gill, who is allegedly linked to an ongoing vigilance case.
“Why the induction was done in the dead of night and why it was not conducted by any Punjab BJP leader but instead by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini. What was so urgent that a person facing serious questions in a vigilance probe was made to join the BJP without any public event or senior Punjab leadership present? Why was this done quietly and away from public scrutiny?” he asked.
Punjab BJP leader Subhash Sharma claimed that the AAP was pressuring Gill to join the party after he quit the Shiromani Akali Dal.
“When he decided to go with the BJP for the progress of Punjab, the VB teams reached his residence to conduct raids in the morning,” said Sharma.
He said the BJP strongly condemned the AAP’s policy of “political vendetta” and further charged the Bhagwant Mann government of “misusing” the bureau against political rivals.
“People of Punjab never accepted the politics of political vendetta. People will give a befitting reply to the AAP for its arm-twisting tactics,” said Sharma.
Gill had recently resigned from the primary membership of the SAD. He was once considered a close confidant of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
He had earlier claimed that loyal party workers in the SAD were allegedly being sidelined, while outsiders were gaining prominence in the constituency.
Gill had unsuccessfully contested the Kharar Assembly seat in the 2017 and 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. He lost to AAP’s Anmol Gagan Mann in the 2022 assembly polls.
After joining the BJP on Friday, Gill expressed confidence in the party’s policies and programmes under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gill is the founder of the real estate firm Gillco Group. He had set up various real estate projects in Mohali. PTI CHS VSD RHL
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.