AAP Leader Raided: After Bengal Win Lull, ED Heat Returns on Parties Refusing to Fall in Line

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested AAP leader Deepak Singla after conducting searches at premises linked to him in Delhi and Goa in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud-linked money laundering case . Officials said incriminating documents were recovered during the raids, while the Aam Aadmi Party claimed the action reflected a wider pattern of central agencies targeting opposition leaders who refuse to align with the ruling BJP .

Singla, who had contested from the Vishwas Nagar Assembly seat , had also faced ED searches in 2024 . Officials said the present case relates to alleged financial irregularities and laundering of funds.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal strongly defended Singla, alleging that the arrest was politically motivated. In a post on X, Kejriwal said Singla was not arrested because he had done anything wrong, but because he refused to join the BJP and continued to work against it.

The arrest has once again revived opposition allegations that the ED’s actions intensify around elections, defections and moments of political confrontation. While the BJP and the government insist investigative agencies function independently, opposition parties argue that the pattern increasingly appears selective.

AAP leaders have pointed to the case of former party Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal , founder of Lovely Professional University . After AAP removed Raghav Chadha as its Rajya Sabha party leader and replaced him with Mittal, the ED suddenly raided premises linked to Mittal and LPU . Within about ten days, Mittal joined the BJP. Opposition parties say the issue quickly disappeared from national discussion after his switch, strengthening perceptions that political crossovers often bring sudden silence around investigations.

Opposition leaders have also cited the ED raids on I-PAC offices before the West Bengal elections. After polling concluded, an I-PAC Bengal official secured bail, further fuelling claims that agencies are frequently used to exert political pressure before key electoral battles.

The Deepak Singla arrest has therefore become more than just another money laundering case. For the ED, it is part of a financial crime investigation. For the opposition, it is another reminder that resistance to the ruling establishment increasingly comes with the risk of enforcement action.