Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday demanded Sanjeev Arora’s immediate removal from the state cabinet.
Bajwa alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Mann had completely failed to uphold the standards of honesty and accountability that the AAP had promised before coming to power in Punjab. He said the repeated involvement of AAP leaders in corruption-related controversies had exposed the reality behind the party’s so-called model of clean politics.
“Mann should immediately sack Sanjeev Arora from the cabinet. A minister arrested in a serious money laundering case cannot continue while investigations are underway. If Mann still refuses to act, it will clearly show that AAP’s claims of zero tolerance against corruption were nothing more than political slogans,” Bajwa said.
He further stated that AAP had now turned “political vendetta” into a standard excuse every time one of its leaders faced investigation or legal scrutiny. “AAP cannot keep fooling people by crying political vendetta in every single case. The people of Punjab are asking why AAP leaders repeatedly find themselves facing serious allegations linked to corruption and financial irregularities,” he added.
Bajwa said the issue was no longer about one individual but about the collapse of AAP’s credibility in Punjab. “The same party that once lectured the entire country on morality and honesty is today busy defending ministers and leaders facing serious allegations,” he said.
He said political morality demanded immediate accountability from those occupying constitutional positions.
“Mann must answer whether he stands with transparency and accountability or with ministers facing grave allegations. Silence and inaction from the chief minister will only strengthen the belief that AAP has abandoned every principle on which it sought votes from the people,” Bajwa added.
Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira also demanded Arora’s resignation. “AAP has introduced a new low by retaining constitutional positions like CM and ministers even in jail,” he said, adding that this had never happened in the country’s history before, as those arrested, rightly or wrongly, would immediately resign from their positions.
Reacting to the Congress leaders’ demand, AAP spokesperson Neel Garg accused them of playing into the BJP’s hands by echoing its agenda. He alleged that the BJP had consistently misused central agencies to harass and intimidate opposition leaders. “Since 2014, cases have been registered against many leaders, but ED’s conviction rate is below 5%. If raids are genuine, why is the conviction rate so poor?” he asked. On Arora’s continuation in the cabinet, he said the decision would be taken by the chief minister and the party.
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