ED Raids AAP MP Ashok Mittal, Who Replaced Raghav Chadha In Rajya Sabha, In FEMA Cas
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple premises linked to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal in connection with an alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), officials said.
Earlier, the AAP claimed that ED officials were carrying out searches at Mittal’s residence in Jalandhar. The central agency has not yet issued a detailed statement on the scope of the searches.
Mittal, 61, is a businessman and educationist who heads the Lovely Group, which runs a university of the same name. He was recently appointed deputy leader of the AAP in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha.
Officials said the searches are being carried out at multiple business entities linked to him in Jalandhar and Phagwara, along with other locations. The action is being undertaken under FEMA, they added.
The development comes days after the party appointed Mittal as its deputy leader in the Upper House, a move that drew attention given the timing of the ED action. The reshuffle followed AAP writing to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking Chadha’s removal as deputy leader and requesting that he no longer be allotted speaking time from the party’s quota.
