Ashoke Mittal raid: Raghav Chadha ED Conducts Raid on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal’s Home Following Leadership Change | Chandigarh News
ED Raids AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal’s Residence
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted a raid at the house of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal in Punjab.The search operation was carried out at his residence located at 16, The Mall Road, Jalandhar Cantt, officials said.
The action comes just days after the AAP appointed Mittal as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha.Reacting to the searches, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann posted on his X account: “BJP begins preparations for Punjab elections… ED raids at the home and university of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal..typical Modi style..”Quoting a couplet in same post, the CM wrote, “Hum vo patte nahin, jo shakh se tut kar gir jayenge. Andhiyon ko keh do apni aukaat mein rahen” (We are not leaves that will fall off the branch; tell the storms to remain within their limits).”Replying to CM Mann’s post, Union minister of state Ravneet Bittu posted on X: “Bhagwant Mann, your party is full of thieves and looters. The people of Punjab are filing complaints against the state’s ministers, and investigative agencies are catching your corrupt MPs. Modi’s policy is for a clean India, and under it, the filth will certainly be cleaned up.”State BJP president Sunil Jakhar posted, “Who calls their own yogurt sour, chief minister Bhagwant Mann? The actions of your legislators, ministers, and MPs are becoming public knowledge every day. If your government does not take action, then the Government of India will have to act against corruption. Moreover, the High Court has already ordered an investigation into the scholarship scam.”The timing of ED raid has drawn attention given Mittal’s newly-assigned role in Parliament.The development follows a formal move by the AAP to restructure its leadership in the Upper House.The party had written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking the removal of Raghav Chadha as deputy leader and requested that he no longer be allotted speaking time from the party’s quota.Speaking on the change earlier, Mittal described leadership transitions as a “continuous process.”“Earlier, ND Gupta ji was deputy leader, then Raghav ji took over, and now I have been given the responsibility. Tomorrow, someone else may get the opportunity,” he had said.Ashok Kumar Mittal is the founder of Lovely Professional University in Punjab.An academic-turned-politician, he entered active politics in 2022 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha the same year. He has since served on several parliamentary committees, including Defence and Finance, and has participated in international parliamentary delegations.The AAP currently has 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
