Why afraid of impartial probe: Former Punjab Minister Sodhi hits back at AAP over CBI case

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Punjab Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over its allegations of misuse of Central agencies, asking why it did not act despite three Enforcement Directorate (ED) communications seeking action and registration of a First Information Report (FIR) on corruption allegations against State officials.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a corruption case against an OSD to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as well as other senior officers and conducted searches at multiple locations, including Mr. Mann's camp office, following a Punjab and Haryana High Court order for a probe by the Central agency.

In a statement, Mr. Sodhi said the ED had sent communications to the Punjab Police on July 24, July 31 and August 7, and the matter eventually reached the High Court, which ordered the CBI probe.

"The CBI investigation was ordered by the High Court. If the Punjab Government believed that the ED's material was false, it had every opportunity to investigate the matter itself and establish the truth. The question is simple: why did it not do so?" he said.

Mr. Sodhi asked the State government to explain what action was taken on the three communications and why no FIR was registered.

"If the material was false, the Punjab Police could have registered an FIR, conducted an independent investigation and exposed the allegations as baseless. If the individuals concerned were innocent, an impartial probe would have cleared their names. Why was there reluctance to allow that process?" he asked.

Rejecting the AAP's allegation that the CBI probe was politically motivated or linked to the forthcoming Assembly elections, Mr. Sodhi said the matter had originated much earlier and subsequently reached the High Court.

"The ED investigated it, material was shared with the Punjab Police, the State had multiple opportunities to act, and the High Court subsequently ordered a CBI probe. At what stage did the BJP intervene?" he said. He said the BJP was not declaring anyone guilty but was seeking a fair and independent investigation.

"We are asking for the facts to be examined and the law to take its course. If the allegations are false, the investigation will establish that. If there is nothing to hide, there should be no reason to fear an independent probe," Mr. Sodhi said.

Mr. Mann on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) hit out at the BJP-led Centre, alleging that the CBI action just months before the Assembly elections exposed the BJP's "desperation to gain a foothold" in Punjab.

He alleged that the BJP had turned Central agencies against the elected Chief Minister of Punjab, claiming the action was part of its preparations for the upcoming Assembly polls. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also alleged that the CBI action was a result of the BJP's panic ahead of the elections.

"The BJP cannot win Punjab by fighting elections, so it wants to fight the elections with the help of the ED and CBI," Mr. Kejriwal said, asserting that people of Punjab would respond to the action in the upcoming polls. Punjab Assembly elections are due early next year.