Punjab Polls: AAP's Bhagwant Mann visits Golden Temple, challenges Channi to face him in Dhuri

New Delhi: Ahead of the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022, which is shaping up to be a neck to neck competition between key political parties, Aam Admi Party’s chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann visited Punjab’s famous Shri Ram Tirath Mandir and Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday (January 22).

Aam Aadmi Party CM candidate in Punjab Bhagwant Mann visits Shri Ram Tirath Mandir and Golden Temple in Amritsar pic.twitter.com/BP72b4YqwU

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2022

The leader also challenged Congress’ Charanjit Singh Channi to face him in his poll constituency Dhuri for assembly elections and asked the Punjab CM to issue an official statement on the recent ED raids at the residence of his relatives.

“If Channi Sahab wants to contest against me, I invite him to Dhuri. He must give a statement on illegal property papers worth Rs56 cr found in his name. Capt Amarinder Singh also agreed that Channi Ji was involved in illegal sand mining,” ANI quoted Mann as saying.

If Channi Sahab wants to contest against me, I invite him to Dhuri. He must give a statement on illegal property papers worth Rs56 cr found in his name. Capt Amarinder Singh also agreed that Channi Ji was involved in illegal sand mining: Bhagwant Mann, AAP CM candidate in Punjab pic.twitter.com/L4VZVswwCP

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2022

AAP, which has launched a power-packed campaign in Punjab has been levelling corruption accusations against Channi and the Congress regime for quite some time.

Earlier, AAP’s Raghav Chaddha raided a sand mine in Punjab and alleged Channi’s involvement in the scam, an allegation Channi consistently denied.

Dismissing Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi`s denial of involvement in illegal sand mining as a `lie, Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Saturday also said that as a chief minister, he had received specific inputs that Channi had a share in the mafia, along with several other Congress leaders and MLAs in the state.

About the raids, the ED on Wednesday had said it seized cash amounting to over Rs 10 crore, including about Rs 8 crore from a relative of Channi, during raids conducted in connection with an anti-money laundering investigation against illegal sand-mining operations in the poll-bound state.

Ever since the raids, AAP has been targeting Channi and his party for taking part in corruption and called him a ‘dishonest man.’

Channi threatened to file a defamation case against AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks.