The AAP on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBI action against Manish Sisodia, and accused him of using the probe agency to defame the party and its leaders due to the "growing popularity" of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his model of governance.

The party also asserted that Sisodia will eventually come out clean of the accusations and the real face of the prime minister will stand exposed before the country.

The CBI carried out searches at the residences of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna besides at 19 other locations after registering an FIR in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

At a press conference, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national spokesperson Sanjay Singh said the alleged irregularities in the formulation of excise policy are just an excuse to put the CBI after Sisodia.

The real issue here is the growing popularity of Arvind Kejriwal and his Delhi model of governance in the education and healthcare sectors, he said.

Days after Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain, who gave the Delhi model of mohalla clinic to the world, was jailed by the Enforcement Directorate, the prime minister has put the CBI after Sisodia, the party charged.

Preparations are underway to put Sisodia also behind bars as the prime minister is not able to sleep at night due to the growing popularity of Kejriwal and his Delhi model of governance in education and healthcare sectors, Singh charged.

He said that the CBI raids against Sisodia came a day after a story about the Delhi model of education was published in the New York Times with a picture of the deputy chief minister.

Entire country is happy with it. Sisodia is being discussed all over the world. But our prime minister's thinking is so petty that he sent the CBI to Sisodia's residence the very next day after the story of Delhi model of education was published in the New York Times, he said while terming the CBI action a shame .