The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with a money laundering probe linked to an alleged Rs 5,590 crore hospital construction scam. The raids are being held at Bharadwaj's residence and 12 other locations.
The raids are undertaken under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) at 13 different locations across the Delhi-NCR region.
Officials said the raids form part of an ongoing investigation into irregularities in the construction and upgradation of several government hospitals during the AAP-led Delhi government’s tenure.
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AAP Condemns Raids At Saurabh Bharadwaj’s Residence
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the ED raid at Saurabh Bharadwaj’s residence was yet another instance of the Modi government misusing investigative agencies. He claimed the government was deliberately targeting the Aam Aadmi Party in a manner unprecedented in history, asserting that AAP was being singled out because it had been the most vocal critic against the Modi government's wrong policies and corrupt deeds.
Former Delhi Deputy CM and AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the Enforcement Directorate’s raid at Saurabh Bharadwaj’s residence was only a diversionary tactic. He claimed the action came a day after revelations surfaced questioning the authenticity of the Prime Minister’s degree, which he alleged was fake. "It came to the fore in the country that the Prime Minister lied about the degree... So to divert attention from the issue of the Prime Minister's degree, ED is raiding Saurabh Bharadwaj's house. Even a child will laugh on hearing that the case in which Saurabh Bharadwaj's house is being raided is being told to be a case before he became a minister," he said, as per ANI.