New Delhi, April 17 – Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has criticized the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raid on the residence of Durgesh Pathak, Gujarat co-incharge of AAP, calling it a “political vendetta” by the BJP-led central government. The raid comes shortly after Pathak was appointed in charge of AAP’s Gujarat election campaign for 2027.
Addressing a press conference, Singh accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to intimidate AAP leaders. “The dirty game of the BJP and the Modi government has started again. Earlier, every effort was made to stop AAP. Our biggest leader was put in jail, raids were conducted in Punjab and Delhi. Today, again, a similar nefarious attempt has been made by the BJP,” Singh said.
He alleged that the raid was an attempt to instill fear among AAP leaders as the BJP senses defeat in the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. “The BJP’s condition is bad in Gujarat. People of Gujarat have hope from AAP. But they sent the CBI to scare them. Modi ji sees the possibility of defeat in Gujarat. They have tried a lot in the past also, they can try as much as they want in future, we are not going to be scared. Aam Aadmi Party stands with Durgesh Pathak and his family in every way,” Singh added.
Sources revealed that the CBI conducted searches at Pathak’s premises on Thursday morning in connection with a case related to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registered the previous day. The development has prompted strong reactions from AAP leaders, who view the raid as a response to their preparations for the Gujarat elections.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi asserted that AAP is the only party capable of challenging the BJP in Gujarat, and the raid reflects the BJP’s frustration. “As soon as the Aam Aadmi Party started preparations for the Gujarat elections, the CBI reached the house of the Gujarat co-incharge, Durgesh Pathak, to conduct a raid! In Gujarat, only AAP can challenge the BJP, and this raid shows their frustration! In all these years, the BJP has not understood that we are not going to be scared of their threats,” Atishi wrote on X.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed similar sentiments, stating on X, “Due to the last Gujarat elections, the BJP central government had started arresting the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. And now that @ipathak25 has got the responsibility of Gujarat, today the CBI has raided his house.”
Despite challenges in Delhi, AAP has made significant inroads in Gujarat, winning five seats in the 2022 Assembly elections in the BJP’s stronghold. The party remains resolute in its efforts to expand its presence in the state, undeterred by the recent raid.
