BJP alleges FIRs against former AAP MP Sandeep Pathak, accuses Punjab government of vendetta

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the party was still awaiting full details of the FIRs registered against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, but claimed that initial information pointed to two separate cases – one related to alleged threats and the other to corruption.

Talking with The Indian Express, Jakhar said, “The party would respond legally, alleging that the cases were politically motivated. We will deal with these FIRs, which are nothing but a political vendetta. It was expected of them. The party is not intimidated by FIRs filed by the AAP government; these actions are meant to divert attention from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s alleged conduct of arriving in an inebriated state in the Assembly.”

Jakhar didn’t deny a team of the Punjab Police visited the New Delhi residence of Sandeep Pathak on Saturday morning.

Reacting to the police action, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma, too, alleged a political vendetta. “The fear of Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal has now come to the fore. As soon as Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak left the AAP and joined the BJP, a non-bailable FIR was registered against him in Punjab. This clearly indicates that Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are using the police as a political weapon,” he said.

He further said, “This is not just one case – it reflects fear, panic, and politics driven by vendetta. Even earlier, the police were used to silence dissenting voices – and today, the same is being repeated.”

Sharma alleged that invoking non-bailable sections was an attempt to impose a political agenda. “The government led by Bhagwant Mann is gradually turning Punjab into a ‘police state’ – where dissent equals a case, and truth is punished. BJP Punjab will not tolerate this high-handedness and authoritarianism. Those who are turning the law into a weapon against political opponents will be challenged both legally and democratically. We will neither be afraid nor bow down,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Trident Group has already moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the PPCB raid.