ED raids AAP Punjab chief Aman Arora’s aide; minister says he’ll quit if found guilty

Aman Arora on Friday said he is prepared to face any investigation and vowed to quit politics if any wrongdoing is established against him, after his name surfaced in connection with an Enforcement Directorate probe involving his close associate.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader, who also serves as a Punjab cabinet minister, accused the BJP of trying to politically malign him following ED raids conducted Thursday at multiple locations across Punjab and Chandigarh as part of a money laundering investigation.

Speaking to reporters, Arora claimed neither his name nor that of his associate Gaurav Dhir appeared in the agency’s initial statement.

He alleged that while the original release referred only to “Gaurav Constructions,” a revised statement issued shortly afterward included both his and Dhir’s names.

“This proves that my name was inserted only to politically target and defame me,” Arora said.

“I am ready for any kind of investigation. If any wrong is proved against me in any probe, I will leave politics.”

Calling the episode an example of the BJP’s “politics of intimidation and character assassination,” Arora said he had never even heard of several individuals named in the case — including Suresh Kumar Bajaj, Ajay Sehgal, Nitin Goyal and Pritpal Singh Dhindsa — before Wednesday.

Addressing his links to Dhir, Arora said their friendship spans more than 22 years and is purely personal.

He denied having any business or financial dealings with him.

Arora also accused the ED of selectively omitting politically inconvenient facts, alleging that one of the individuals named in the case, Bajaj, had donated ₹2.5 lakh to the Bharatiya Janata Party during 2023–24.

On allegations related to the Altus real estate project, Arora said the company’s 600-acre development had received Change of Land Use approvals back in 2013–14.

He maintained that such licences remain valid as long as developers comply with policy norms and argued that controversy surrounding six acres allegedly linked to Dhir was being deliberately exaggerated for political reasons.

The minister added that Altus, once among the largest defaulters to Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and the Punjab government, now holds a no-dues certificate.

“If all dues have been cleared and the Punjab government itself has issued a no-dues certificate, then where is the fraud?” Arora said.