Kamal Ghorui
Sandeep Pathak (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak on Sunday said that he has not received any information about the FIR filed against him and he is waiting to get a copy to respond to it.Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Pathak said: “TV channels are reporting that two FIRs have been lodged against me. However, I have not received any such information so far. I was waiting to get a copy of the FIR so that I could respond to it. It would not be surprising if any FIR has been lodged against me by misusing political power. All those who have worked with me know that I work with integrity. I worked with honesty and integrity when I was with AAP, and now that I have joined the BJP, I will continue to work in the same way.”
This comes after Punjab Police had registered two FIRs against him under non-bailable sections days after he switched from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP as part of a group of MPs merging with the ruling camp in the Upper House.The political controversy intensified after BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders strongly criticised the FIRs, calling them an act of ‘political vendetta’ and misuse of police machinery in Punjab.Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused the AAP government of misusing the police to target opponents.In a post on X, Sharma said, “There is no law in Punjab; now, political vendetta is in effect. Bhagwant Mann and Kejriwal’s fear exposed. The fact that a non-bailable FIR was registered against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak ji in Punjab as soon as he left AAP and joined BJP clearly shows that Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are using the police as a political weapon.BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said there were serious questions over the state’s law and order situation and accused the Punjab Police of focusing on political actions instead of addressing governance issues.Shiromani Akali Dal general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia also alleged selective targeting of former AAP allies, questioning why only leaders who changed parties were facing legal action.Meanwhile, security was tightened outside Sandeep Pathak’s residence in Delhi, with police personnel deployed and barricades put up as a precautionary measure.
