Conspiracy born out of fear: AAP on CBI action against Durgesh Pathak
The AAP on Thursday slammed the CBI searches at the residence of its senior leader Durgesh Pathak as a “politically motivated” move aimed at derailing the party’s preparations for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections.
Pathak, who is the party’s co-incharge for Gujarat, said a team of CBI officers raided his residence to allegedly “intimidate” him due to his growing political activity in Gujarat.
“A team of five-six CBI officers came to my house and searched every corner of my two-room premises for around three-four hours. They did not tell me why they had come or for which case. They showed me a search warrant, and I welcomed them. They searched everything but couldn’t find anything,” Pathak said at a press conference.
“I think they came to scare me as I have started working in Gujarat for the AAP. They came so that nobody joins us in Gujarat … They arrested Sanjay Singh after the AAP got five MLAs in Gujarat and emerged as a good alternative in the state,” he added.
However, Pathak said he would cooperate with the agency.
“As a citizen of India, I will cooperate with them and tell them whatever I am aware of,” he added.
The CBI is carrying out searches at the premises of Pathak in connection with alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Reacting to the raids, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “The BJP’s attempts to finish off the AAP have begun once again. They have jailed our leader, arrested our top leadership, and now our PAC member and Gujarat co-incharge Durgesh Pathak has been raided by the CBI. The only reason is that AAP is gaining ground in Gujarat.”
Singh claimed that as soon as Pathak began holding meetings in Gujarat to strengthen the party’s base, the BJP responded by sending the central agency after him.
Echoing similar sentiments, senior AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on X, “CBI raid at Durgesh Pathak’s house as soon as he got responsibility for Gujarat elections 2027! This is not a coincidence, this is a conspiracy born out of fear.”
Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi also condemned the raid.
“As soon as AAP started preparations for Gujarat elections, CBI reached the house of Gujarat co-incharge Durgesh Pathak. This shows BJP’s frustration,” she posted on X.
Pathak, who won the Rajinder Nagar Assembly seat in 2022, lost to BJP’s Umang Bajaj in the 2025 elections. He was also AAP’s in-charge for Goa during the 2022 Assembly elections.
The AAP had secured five seats and a 14 per cent vote share in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls, and has since been looking to expand its footprint in the state.
Delhi