Punjab Police have filed two FIRs under sections for non-bailable offences against Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak. Both FIRs were filed in different districts of Punjab. This comes days after Sandeep Pathak switched from AAP to the BJP, as seven MPs merged with the ruling camp in the Upper House of Parliament. The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have questioned the timing of the FIRs, calling it “political vendetta” against Pathak. Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma accused the AAP government in the state of using the police to silence the opposition.
In an X post, Sharma wrote, “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.”
“This is not just one case–this is the politics of fear, panic and vendetta. Police were used to silence opposing voices earlier, too–the same is being repeated today. Non-bailable clauses, threats of immediate action are a shameful act of implementing a political agenda under the guise of law,” the BJP leader added.
He accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of turning Punjab into a “police state.”
“Bhagwant Mann’s government is slowly transforming Punjab into a ‘police state’–where dissent = case and truth = punishment. BJP Punjab will not tolerate this bullying and dictatorship. Those who build weapons against opponents of the law will be fought legally and democratically. We will not be afraid; we will not bow down,” the post read.
Akali Dal General Secretary Bikram Singh Majithia accused AAP of “selectively targeting the fallouts.”
“Hero to Zero…Selective targeting of those who fall out with the Aam Aadmi Party. Sandeep Pathak was once a trusted aide of Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal, a key power centre. If he was wrong, then he was following his bosses, Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. Then, who was in collusion with him, and why are they not being booked now? After shifting loyalties, FIRs under non-bailable sections point to possible vendetta politics. From influence to investigation, the shift raises serious questions,” Majithia wrote on X.
AAP Wins Confidence Motion In Punjab Assembly
AAP won the confidence motion in the 117-member Punjab Assembly on Friday. AAP has a majority with 94 MLAs, while 16 MLAs belong to the Congress, one MLA is from the BSP, and three MLAs are from SAD. There are two MLAs from the BJP and one Independent MLA.
The confidence vote comes in the backdrop of a political setback for AAP on April 24, when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha members, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Harbhajan Singh, resigned and joined the BJP.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann emphasised that negative news and rumours are circulating, claiming that members of the AAP are defecting and are creating confusion among the general public.
“All speculations have been put to rest today regarding all those who were saying that 65 or 40 MLAs of AAP are going away,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mann announced a 15 per cent hike in the minimum daily wages for workers in both government and non-government sectors on the occasion of Labour Day on May 1.
“It is labourers’ day, so labourers should certainly get a present,” Mann told ANI after the proceedings of the 16th Punjab Legislative Assembly.
Taking it to X, the Punjab CM stated that the step will provide financial aid to lakhs of families.
“In this era of inflation, this step of ours will provide financial strength to lakhs of families. The Punjab government is fully committed to protecting the interests of its workers,” he wrote.
(With inputs from ANI)
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
