New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday labelled CBI raids conducted at the premises of his party colleague Durgesh Pathak a 'political vendetta' by the BJP-led central government.

Addressing a press conference, Sanjay Singh said, 'The dirty game of the BJP and the Modi government has started again. Earlier, every effort was also 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.'

'Modi ji has sent CBI to the house of the party's PAC member and Gujarat co-incharge Durgesh Pathak, because Arvind Kejriwal sent him to Gujarat to strengthen the organisation. AAP got 14 per cent of the votes in Gujarat,' he added.

Calling the raid an attempt to instil fear, Singh said the BJP might be sensing defeat in the next 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,' he said.

As per the sources, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a raid on the residence of Durgesh Pathak, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and in charge of Gujarat, on Thursday morning.

Searches are being conducted at the premises of Durgesh Pathak in connection with a case related to the FCRA registered with the CBI yesterday, they added.

The development comes days after Pathak was appointed in-charge of the AAP's Gujarat election campaign for 2027, prompting strong reactions from AAP leaders.

Hitting out at the BJP, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said that the CBI raided AAP leader Durgesh Pathak's house in response to AAP's preparations for the Gujarat elections.

Atishi asserted that AAP is the only party capable of challenging the BJP in Gujarat, and the raid reflects the BJP's frustration. Atishi emphasises that AAP will not be intimidated by such actions

'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,' she wrote on X.

https://x.com/saurabh_mlagk/status/1912711826246083048?s=48

Similarly, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed on X that the raid was linked to Pathak's new role in Gujarat.

'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,' Bharadwaj said.

Despite troubles brewing for AAP in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat managed to win 5 seats in the 2022 assembly polls they fought in the BJP's bastion. (ANI)