Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar accuses CM Bhagwant Mann of misusing intelligence for political espionage, urges governor Gulab Chand Kataria to order probe

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday accused Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann of a "grave constitutional breach and misuse of state intelligence machinery for political espionage", sending a letter to governor Gulab Chand Kataria urging him to order a high-level judicial or independent inquiry into the matter.
Terming it "IntelGate Punjab", Jakhar called for the governor to refer the matter to the central govt and national investigative agencies.
Referring to Mann's "on-record statement" in the Punjab vidhan sabha and reproducing it as "Main sarkar vich haan, mere kol intelligence hai" ("I am in the govt, and I have the intelligence"), Jakhar, in the letter to the governor, stated, "This was not a passing remark or political bravado. It was a direct and unambiguous reference to the use of the official state intelligence apparatus, spoken in his capacity as the head of the govt."
Jakhar added, "In doing so, the CM effectively admitted to deploying state intelligence resources to monitor political opponents and the internal functioning of other political parties, including meetings held outside Punjab. This constitutes a grave constitutional violation, an affront to the democratic ethos, and a serious breach of privilege. It is reminiscent of the darkest abuses of surveillance globally – including the Pegasus scandal – and warrants immediate, non-negotiable action."
Speaking in the vidhan sabha in the budget session last month, CM Mann referred to a meeting of Congress MLAs called by the party's Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Bhagel, saying that "Since I am in govt, I get the intelligence news."
Jakhar, in the letter, stated, "More disturbingly, within a few days of this public admission, the additional director general of police (intelligence), Punjab, R K Jaiswal, was abruptly transferred. The timing is no coincidence."
ADGP Praveen Kumar Sinha replaced Jaiswal as Punjab intelligence chief on April 7.
Jakhar, who also issued a written statement on Thursday, asked, "Was he removed for refusing to comply with political directives? Was he resisting pressure to turn the intelligence wing into a private tool of the ruling party?" Jakhar urged the governor to order a high-level judicial or independent inquiry into the misuse of intelligence and the removal of the ADGP.
He also cited the grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar on the night of April 7–8 and stated, "If the state's intelligence had been focused on its constitutional role of protecting public safety rather than being diverted to political espionage, such a catastrophic lapse might have been avoided."