Jalandhar: ED raids on premises linked to Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora, coupled with the exit of six Punjab MPs from the party, have triggered unease within the business community over aligning with the Aam Aadmi Party in the state.The raids, described by AAP as politically motivated ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, have come at a time when the ruling party has been aggressively courting industrialists and traders. Party sources concede that the developments could dent its outreach efforts. On Friday, Mittal crossed over to the BJP along with five other MPs from Punjab, a move that further sharpened concerns among sections of the business community. However, AAP’s Punjab general secretary dismissed such apprehensions, saying people were well aware of BJP’s “tactics”.Before coming to power in Punjab in 2022, AAP had largely mobilised support around emotive issues such as the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the 2020–21 farm protests. After coming to office, the party also made a conscious push to engage industry and trade in a bid to expand its political base.Mittal and Arora were nominated to the Rajya Sabha soon after the assembly election results, emerging as AAP’s key faces from Punjab’s business elite. The move helped the party draw affluent businessmen and industrialists closer to it.After resigning from the Rajya Sabha to become a cabinet minister, Arora actively pursued outreach with industrial and trade bodies. Mittal, meanwhile, largely stayed away from the public eye politically. The ED raid on Mittal’s premises, however, took many by surprise, given the perception that his family enjoyed cordial relations across political parties. His Jalandhar-based Lovely Professional University had earlier hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers. His move to the BJP on Friday, therefore, did not come as a shock to many in Punjab.AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and chief minister Bhagwant Mann have repeatedly claimed that their govt has created a business-friendly environment in the state. They have said industrial policies were framed in consultation with stakeholders and that long-pending demands of the industry were addressed.Traditionally, Punjab’s business community has been aligned largely with the Congress, with a section leaning towards the BJP. While AAP has managed to win over a segment of traders and industrialists, political observers say merely dismissing the ED action as vendetta may not be enough to retain that support. The party now faces the twin challenge of countering allegations arising from the raids and reassuring industry players about stability and governance.‘Intention was to create fear’: AAPAAP Punjab general secretary Deepak Bali, himself a businessman, said the intention behind the raids was to create fear among party leaders and supporters but insisted there was no panic among businesspersons associated with AAP. “We have been meeting business people regularly after the raids and there has been no impact so far. People of Punjab are courageous and will respond befittingly to such threatening tactics,” he said.
