A day after the Aam Aadmi Party released its second list of contenders for the Assembly polls, replacing Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora with industrialist Nitin Kohli, the MLA told reporters that his silence against all kinds of pressure tactics should not be construed as his weakness.
Speaking for the first time since he had been booked by the Vigilance Bureau in a corruption case in May 2025, Arora remarked he had been deliberately framed by a group of individuals.
“I was wrongly implicated. Three to five people laid a trap around me. I will reveal everything at the right time. I have enough evidence to substantiate my claims. Some people wanted to sideline me and replace me with their favourites. During my tenure as an MLA, I have seen a much dirtier side of politics,” he said.
Describing himself as a God-fearing person from an ordinary middle-class family, Arora remarked public sentiment had begun shifting in his favour as proof supporting his version surfaced.
“Audio recordings and other material have emerged that show how I was trapped. People have started expressing support for me. That is why my name topped several surveys, particularly those conducted by independent media. Even then, I did not ask for a ticket. I want to continue serving the people, though not necessarily as their political leader. There are other ways to do that,” he said.
This afternoon, he also turned to social media where he posted, "How powerful must that person be against whom people need to gang up on just to humiliate him." This way, he further attempted to make the same point. He, however, did not name anyone who laid trap around him.
Even before his arrest, AAP leader and now Jalandhar Cantt halqa in-charge Deepak Bali had started calling shots in Jalandhar Central. However, AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia handed over the post of halqa in-charge to Nitin Kohli instead of Bali. Bali was then adjusted with posts like party's general secretary. Before that, he was already serving as the adviser to the Punjab Tourism and Heritage Promotion Board.
Even after Arora's release from the jail about a year ago, the party went on to get all development works done through Kohli. He was not seen at any public events of the Aam Aadmi Party for the whole year. He even skipped several sessions in the Vidhan Sabha, attending the last two. Arora was given two gunmen also but he sent them back after an attempt was made to stall the bhajan occasion of Kanhaiya Mittal that he was organising. Arora has himself been a bhajan singer, before jumping into politics. Arora got two gunman back but not the ticket.
