Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was “harassing small Hindu traders in Punjab” while claiming that raids by the central agency were being conducted on traders in the state.In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, “The ED party is once again conducting raids on Hindu traders in Punjab today. The ED party is harassing small Hindu traders.” Issuing an appeal to the trading community, the AAP convener urged them not to panic and asserted that the Punjab Government stood with them.He further said, “I appeal to all traders that there is no need to panic, the entire Punjab and the Punjab Government are with you, we will all together confront the ED party.” Kejriwal’s remark drew sharp reactions on social media with Congress leaders accusing AAP of trying to play divisive politics.Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also wrote, “Hindu traders of Punjab are the backbone of our state’s economic development and their contribution to creating ‘Rangla Punjab’ is immense. The ED party wants to harass our traders by misusing central agencies. By doing so, they are trying to bring them into their fold through political pressure, which Punjabis will not tolerate. We stand with our traders.”Congress MLA Pargat Singh was among the first few to react. In a post, he said, “Seeing the impending defeat in Punjab, Kejriwal and Mann have now started seeing only religion among Punjabis? Punjab’s true identity is inclusiveness, brotherhood and unity. Punjab has always opposed politics that divides people for votes and it will continue to do so in the future.”Congress MP Sukhjinder Randhawa said, “When it comes to work and accountability, some governments start relying on investigative agencies. AAP is misusing the Vigilance Bureau and the BJP Enforcement Directorate. For electoral gains, politics of farmer versus trader or Hindu versus Sikh is played out. Punjab’s identity is tied neither to any religion nor to any class. Its real strength lies in brotherhood, shared heritage and trust in each other.”