Chandigarh/Barnala, April 30
In what can only be described as a brazen political “witch-hunt,” Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) teams swooped down on Trident Factories in Barnala—owned by Rajya Sabha MP and Trident Group Chairman Emeritus Rajinder Gupta, who recently quit AAP to join BJP.
The timing of the raids has set off a storm in Punjab’s political circles. Opposition leaders allege that while Gupta remained with AAP, everything was fine but the moment he crossed over, the hammer fell—signaling what they call a “vindictive campaign” of “selective targeting”.
The raids, coming on the heels of mass defections of AAP MPs to BJP, are being seen as part of a larger strategy to intimidate dissenters and punish those who dare to break ranks. Critics argue this is less about pollution control and more about political control—an attempt to weaponize state machinery against rivals.
With Gupta now in the BJP camp, the narrative has shifted dramatically: what was once “acceptable” under AAP’s watch is suddenly “unacceptable.” The episode underscores Punjab’s deepening political fault lines, where governance and vendetta appear dangerously intertwined.
