ED Searches at Punjab's GMADA Enter Second Day as AAP and Centre Clash
Enforcement Directorate searches at GMADA in Mohali continued for a second day, prompting a High Court monitoring order and a political row between AAP and the Centre.
Enforcement Directorate searches at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office stretched into a second day, turning a money-laundering investigation into an open confrontation between the AAP-led Punjab government and the BJP-led Centre.
The case centres on alleged irregularities in land acquisition, change of land use and compensation payments. Searches have also covered locations linked to AAP leader Satyendar Jain, officials and a relative of Punjab minister Hardeep Singh Mundian.
As the operation proceeded, the Punjab government approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking urgent judicial intervention. The court appointed a Warrant Officer to monitor the search and seizure proceedings and to file a status report by 2 pm, authorising the officer to visit the site at any time.
Outside the GMADA premises, AAP leaders and workers protested, accusing the central agency of targeting the state ahead of elections. Delhi AAP leader Manish Sisodia, writing on X, alleged that ED officials were breaking locks and entering premises, and claimed the agency was returning empty-handed from its searches.
Punjab AAP leader Balbir Singh said on X that elections were approaching and raids had begun, alleging that party leaders, workers and government officials were being targeted because the BJP had no political answer in the state. Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that the raids had intensified as elections near and said Punjab would not be intimidated.
Opposition parties pushed back. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia questioned the state government's handling of the ED action and the circumstances around the GMADA searches, while BJP leader Parminder Singh Brar also criticised the government.
The ED has described the searches as part of its investigation into alleged financial irregularities and money-laundering-linked transactions. AAP's allegations of political targeting remain contested.
With the High Court monitoring the proceedings, a protest on the streets and criticism from opposition parties, the operation has become a significant political and legal flashpoint in Punjab.