AAP claims ED raid on Ashok Mittal ‘decided in BJP meeting’ after Raghav Chadha met top leaders

CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday linked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on its Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal to the Centre's reported decision to grant Z-plus security to Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, alleging a "calculated political design" and claiming the developments were interconnected rather than coincidental.AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda said according to sources, the raids followed Chadha's recent meeting with the BJP's top leadership, "where the raid was decided" as the starting point of the BJP's Punjab election campaign. The Centre granting him Z-plus security during this period, he said, is not a "coincidence but a calculated move".In a video message, Dhanda alleged: "Just a few days ago, Ashok Mittal was made AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, this position was held by Raghav Chadha. It is being said that Raghav Chadha was very upset over why he was removed. Can it be merely a coincidence that Raghav Chadha was removed from the post, and within a few days the ED carried out a raid at Ashok Mittal's residence, while Raghav Chadha was granted Z-plus security by the central govt? Can this be just a coincidence?" Dhanda added, "Sources are saying that recently Raghav Chadha met the top leadership of the BJP. In that very meeting, it was decided that an ED raid would be conducted at Dr Ashok Mittal's residence, and this would mark the beginning of the BJP's Punjab election campaign. Raghav Chadha was extremely upset about why Ashok Mittal was made Deputy Leader in his place. That is why he met the top BJP leadership, and his first demand was that an ED raid be conducted at Mittal's residence and an attempt be made to intimidate him." AAP on April 2 announced the replacement of Chadha with MP Ashok Mittal for the post of deputy leader in Rajya Sabha.