BJP using ED to 'fabricated narratives' to defame me: Punjab minister Aman Arora

Punjab Minister Aman Arora on Friday accused the ED of defaming him by linking his name with the agencys recent raids in the state in a money laundering probe, and alleged that the BJP-led Centre is running a politically motivated campaign to malign him.

Punjab Minister Aman Arora on Friday accused the ED of defaming him by linking his name with the agency's recent raids in the state in a money laundering probe, and alleged that the BJP-led Centre is running a ''politically motivated'' campaign to malign him. Arora, who is also the AAP's Punjab president, asked the central agency to call him for questioning if it has any suspicion, stating he was ready to comply. ED on Thursday conducted searches as part of a money laundering probe against two realty groups on charges of fraudulent change of land use and duping investors. The agency raided about a dozen locations in Mohali (SAS Nagar) and Chandigarh linked to the Suntec City project (developed by ICHBS or Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society), its promoter Ajay Sehgal, ABS Townships, Altus Space Builders, Dhir Constructions and associates under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED claimed that a businessman named Gaurav Dhir of Dhir Constructions purchased the Altus project through its entity Suncity Projects for Rs 130 crore, by ''undervaluing'' the project cost. They claimed Dhir was a ''close associate'' of Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora. Speaking to the media here, Arora said he was surprised that his name was being linked to the ED's raid operation. He said he was completely unaware of the ED raids as he had been attending to his mother, who has been admitted in the ICU for the last two weeks, before participating in departmental meetings. ''I only came to know about the raids after receiving calls and videos from party colleagues and media persons during the meeting,'' he added. ''I was shocked after seeing visuals of bags of currency notes being shown on television. Till around 3.30 pm, I remained occupied in the departmental meeting and had absolutely no information connecting me to the matter in any manner,'' he said. Later in the evening, a colleague informed him that raids had also been conducted at the residence of his close friend Gaurav Dhir, he said. ''From morning till evening, a false narrative was systematically built and gradually twisted to drag his name into the controversy merely because of his friendship with Gaurav Dhir, despite having no connection whatsoever with the alleged case,'' he claimed. Under a conspiracy, Arora claimed in its first official statement, the ED neither took his name nor Gaurav Dhir. But after half-an-hour, the ED issued another statement in which, while rest of everything remained same but it was mentioned that ''Gaurav Dhir is a close associate of one of the high ranking AAP leaders Aman Arora''. ''My name was added (in the statement) only just to defame me,'' claimed Arora, while demanding a probe into it. Arora sought to clarify that he heard the names of Suresh Kumar Bajaj, Ajay Sehgal and Nitin Gohal, whose premises were raided, for the first time. However, he said Gaurav Dhir was more than a brother to him and both have been friends for the past 22-23 years. ''Friendship is not a crime. But where is the proof that either he or I have done anything wrong,'' he asked. Reiterating his clean public image, Arora said he has spent over 31 years in public life without any allegation of corruption or misuse of office. ''If anyone can prove that Aman Arora has ever demanded even one rupee from anyone since entering politics in 1991, I will quit politics immediately,'' Arora declared. Lashing out at the BJP, Arora said it the modus operandi of the BJP to misuse central agencies in poll-bound states to arm twist rival party leaders and prepare its political ground. Raising question over the ED, Arora said the central agency had come to know that Dhir was his friend but it failed to find that Suresh Bajaj had given Rs 2.50 lakh of donation to the BJP in 2023-24. Why it was not mentioned in its statement by the ED, Arora questioned. The Cabinet minister claimed that though Dhir was his friend but he had never any business dealing with him. ''Our friendship existed yesterday, exists today and will remain forever. But friendship does not mean involvement in business,'' Arora stated. Arora asserted that the raid on Dhir appeared to have been conducted solely because of his proximity to him. Addressing allegations linked to the Altus project, Arora explained that the company's 600-acre mega project had received Change of Land Use (CLU) approvals back in 2013-14. He clarified that all CLU licenses are conditional and remain valid as long as developers comply with government policy norms. ''For eight months I handled this department and as per my understanding, every CLU is conditional and gets renewed as long as the developer follows policy norms and commits no wrongdoing,'' Arora said. He further stated that the issue involving six acres allegedly linked to Gaurav Dhir was being deliberately distorted for political reasons. Arora said that according to available information, Altus had once been among the biggest defaulters of GMADA (Greater Mohali Area Development Authority) and the Punjab government but today possesses a no dues certificate from the government and does not owe even a single rupee. ''If all dues have been cleared and the Punjab government itself has issued a no dues certificate, then where is the fraud?'' Arora questioned. Throwing an open challenge to the ED, Arora said he was ready to cooperate fully with any inquiry. He also offered to hand over his mobile phone for a forensic examination. ''If they say that they could target me by involving a person who is doing clean business, then I feel that such politics in not in Punjab's interest,'' said Arora.