Chandigarh, May 3 -- A political slugfest erupted on Saturday following reports that Sandeep Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP who recently left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been booked by the Punjab Police. BJP leaders alleged that the AAP-led Punjab government was engaging in "political vendetta", while the ruling AAP feigned ignorance on the issue. Officials aware of the matter said the two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections, but refused to disclose the details. AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said whatever 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. Talking to news agency ANI, Pathak, a former professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, said: "I have no idea of any FIR against me." According to reports, a Punjab Police team went to Delhi but Pathak had already left his residence in a sports utility vehicle (SUV), registered in the name of Lovely Group, owned by his fellow Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, before its arrival. In a video, Pathak was seen leaving his residence when some journalists approached him for his reaction to the development. There hasn't been any official confirmation from the police on the FIRs against Pathak even as Hindustan Times contacted several SSPs and other officers, including in the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. All these officials neither confirmed the registration of the FIRs nor denied it. Pathak is among the seven Rajya Sabha members who had quit the AAP and aligned with the BJP on April 24. Other leaders who made the switch were - Raghav Chadha, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Mittal and Swati Maliwal. Everyone except Maliwal is an RS member from Punjab and their big BJP move lowered the AAP's Rajya Sabha tally from 10 to three, rendering the party a huge blow with just months left for elections in Punjab. The MPs had alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals. Pathak was closely associated with the workings of the AAP in Punjab and is even credited with steering the party towards a decisive win against Congress in 2022 assembly elections. The development comes two days after a raid conducted by the Punjab Pollution Control Board on the premises of Trident Limited on April 30. Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta is the chairman emeritus of the company. Gupta was also one of the seven MPs who quit the AAP and joined the BJP last month. Reacting to reports of FIRs against Pathak, Punjab BJP leaders accused the AAP government in Punjab of indulging in "political vendetta". In a post on X, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar accused the AAP of double standards and said: "Those whom your leader was calling the apple of his eye just a few days ago, today, as soon as they switch parties, flaws start appearing in them. Isn't this proof of the Aam Aadmi Party's double standards?" Talking to reporters, Jakhar said the BJP is not intimidated by the FIRs filed by the Punjab Police, claiming that these actions are meant to divert attention from chief minister Bhagwant Mann's alleged conduct of arriving in the assembly in an inebriated state on Friday, a charge vehemently denied by the ruling party. Asked about the FIRs, Jakhar said he does not have complete details. "I have learnt that one is regarding giving a threat to someone and another is about corruption charges," he said. The saffron party's national spokesperson, SudhanshuTrivedi, claimed that thepolice action reflects misplaced priorities. "The Punjab Police went to Pathak's residence and attempted to carry out a raid. We want to ask whether the law-and-order situation has become so weak that police are unable to act against drug traffickers, but are being used in this manner?" he asked while talking to reporters. Targeting AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Mann, he said: "Those who claim to represent a new kind of politics should explain how law and order has completely collapsed in their state."...