Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Thursday that his OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman is ready to join the CBI probe if summoned through the proper channel. Mann claimed the raids were politically motivated. "We are the ready for any probe," he said, dismissing all corruption allegations as baseless.
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Singh Ghuman was ready to join the CBI investigation if he received summons through the proper channel.
Speaking to the media at the Chief Minister's residence, Mann said Ghuman was not going anywhere and was ready to appear before the central agency as he had not been served the summons. The CBI has booked Ghuman and five others in a corruption case and conducted searches at multiple locations, including the Chief Minister's camp office.
"We are the ready for any probe," Mann said when asked about the investigation.
Mann alleged that the CBI raids indicated that the BJP had started its election campaign in Punjab and accused the party of targeting opponents through raids ahead of elections.
"They did this in West Bengal, Delhi, Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The raid at the CM's camp office in Punjab means the state elections are on schedule. The CBI has several 10 to 15 years old cases, but do they take such quick action. This was all planned, The ED raided those close to Mamata Banerjee just three months before the West Bengal elections. In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were arrested in false cases just months before the elections there. The same script was followed in Chhattisgarh and Haryana," he said.
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Mann claimed that the investigation would not find anything against his government and said it was taking steps to curb corruption by bringing systems online.
''People know why we are in politics. We are not from political background so we don't understand how to align our businesses with government policies. All allegations are baseless. We are not here to mint crores or have share in contracts, hotels and buses.''
Asked about the CBI registering the FIR on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mann said, ''Don't you know how the courts work? It was all planned and then executed. There is no other party than AAP that has worked to end corruption. We have brought all systems online to bring in transparency in governance.
The 251-page FIR names Ghuman and five others, besides unknown public servants and private persons, in connection with allegations of cheating, criminal conspiracy and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR lists 61 counts of alleged wrongdoing flagged by the Enforcement Directorate in its letter to the Punjab DGP.
Earlier, Mann launched HUNAR -- Hub for Upskilling, Networking and Access to Rozgar -- a platform aimed at connecting students, institutes and employers to facilitate industry hiring. Industry Minister Aman Arora was also present.