CBI searches at Durgesh Pathak’s residence, AAP claims BJP scared of party growth in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrived at the residence of AAP leader Durgesh Pathak to conduct searches on Thursday morning. Agency sources say that the searches are related to a case of alleged FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) violations registered by the agency.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday claimed that the same thing happened during the last Gujarat elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) arrested leaders from AAP.

#WATCH | Delhi: CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) team arrives at the residence of AAP leader Durgesh Pathak for a search.

CBI sources say that this is in a case related to FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) registered in CBI. pic.twitter.com/oDBarPBIzv

— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2025

“Due to the last Gujarat elections, the BJP central government had started arresting the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. And now that Durgesh Pathak has got the responsibility of Gujarat, today the CBI has raided his house,” Bharadwaj posted on X.

AAP national secretary Sandeep Pathak said that the CBI raided Durgesh Pathak’s residence days after he was appointed co-incharge of the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat. He said the raids indicate that the BJP views AAP as a “growing threat” in the state.

“The CBI’s raid on Aam Aadmi Party leader Durgesh Pathak’s residence this morning- just days after he was named co-incharge for Gujarat elections 2027- sends a loud message that BJP clearly views AAP as a growing threat in Gujarat and is rattled by its rising influence,” Pathak posted on X.

AAP RS MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the raids are being carried out to threaten Durgesh Pathak, who was recently put in charge of Gujarat.

“CBI has reached the house of Gujarat’s co-incharge Durgesh Pathak. The Modi Government has tried every trick to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party, but still, there is no peace. BJP’s condition in Gujarat is bad. As soon as Durgesh Pathak was made co-incharge of Gujarat, the CBI was sent to threaten him.

Aam Aadmi Party 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.

BJP का गंदा खेल फिर शुरू
गुजरात के सहप्रभारी @ipathak25 के घर CBI का पहुँची है।
मोदी सरकार ने @AamAadmiParty को ख़त्म करने का हर हथकंडा अपना कर देख लिया लेकिन फिर भी उनको चैन नही।
गुजरात में BJP की हालत पतली है जैसे ही @ipathak25 को गुजरात का सहप्रभारी बनाया गया उनको धमकाने के…

— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) April 17, 2025

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.

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.

पिछले गुजरात चुनाव की वजह से भाजपा की केंद्र सरकार ने आम आदमी पार्टी के नेताओं को गिरफ़्तार करना शुरू किया था ।

और अब @ipathak25 को गुजरात की ज़िम्मेदारी मिली है तो आज CBI ने उनके घर छापा मार दिया है ।

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) April 17, 2025

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)