Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak on Sunday responded to reports of FIRs being lodged against him in Punjab, saying he has not received any official information yet.
The reaction comes a day after sources claimed that two FIRs under non-bailable sections have been registered against the Rajya Sabha MP who resigned from the AAP last month.
“TV channels reported that two FIRs have been lodged against me. However, I have not received any such information yet. I was waiting to get a copy of the FIR so that I can respond to it,” Pathak told reporters on Sunday.
“It will not be surprising if any FIR is filed against me for misuse of 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,” he added.
Sources had earlier told HT that two FIRs were lodged against Pathak in Punjab days after he left the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the BJP. While the reasons behind these cases remain unclear, government sources said that FIRs are registered under non-bailable sections.
Amid reports of an FIR on Saturday, Pathak was seen leaving his residence in Delhi. When he approached him to ask questions, the Rajya Sabha MP left in his car.
“Punjab Police is making efforts to arrest the accused as the FIR has been registered under non-bailable sections,” government sources said.
Read also | FIRs against AAP rebel Sandeep Pathak in Punjab days after BJP switch: sources
Why FIR against Pathak?
Pathak is among seven Rajya Sabha MPs who recently left the APC and joined the BJP, including Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Vikramjit Sahni, Harbhajan Singh and Ashok Mittal.
Most of them represent Punjab, and their switch brought down the RJD’s Rajya Sabha tally from 10 to three, a major blow ahead of the state elections.
Pathak was closely associated with the AAP’s Punjab unit and is credited with helping the party achieve a decisive victory in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Read also | The political row erupted over FIRs against Rajya Sabha MP Pathak
Political row over FIR reports
BJP leaders alleged that the RJD-led Punjab government was engaged in “political vendetta”.
In a post on X, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar accused the RJD of double standards.
“Those whom your leader used to call the apple of his eye a few days ago, today, as soon as they change their party, flaws start appearing in them. Isn’t this evidence of the Aam Aadmi Party’s double standards?” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Jakhar said the BJP was not intimidated by the FIRs lodged by the Punjab Police, claiming that the actions were aimed at diverting attention from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s alleged behavior when he arrived in the Assembly in a drunken state on Friday, a charge strongly denied by the ruling party.
AAP spokesperson Neil Garg said that any information the party has about the reported FIRs is only through the media.
“We have also seen reports in the media. I am not officially involved in any such development,” Garg said.
