The Election Commission of India has issued a notice to Delhi Minister Atishi on April 5, seeking a response regarding her claim that AAP leaders would be arrested unless they joined the BJP. Atishi has been asked to provide a response by April 8 at noon.
On April 2, Atishi made a statement asserting that four senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including herself, would soon face arrest. She alleged that the BJP approached her through a “very close” intermediary, urging her to join the party or face investigation by the Enforcement Directorate within a month.
During a press conference, Atishi named herself, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Durgesh Pathak, and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha as the individuals expected to be arrested. Subsequently, the BJP issued a defamation notice to Atishi in response to her claims.
In rebuttal, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva accused Atishi of dishonesty, asserting that the entire Aam Aadmi Party was embroiled in a “liquor scam” and internal conflicts over potential arrests. Sachdeva claimed that Atishi’s efforts to protect herself had led to trouble for Chadha and Pathak.
Bharadwaj countered these accusations by stating that Vijay Nair, an AAP leader currently incarcerated in connection with a money laundering case, had provided his statement over a year ago. Bharadwaj criticized the BJP for exploiting this information, denouncing their political tactics as absurd.
Notably, Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP, was arrested on March 21 for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case linked to the erstwhile excise policy of his government. He has been remanded to judicial custody until April 15 by a city court.
Meanwhile, the AAP has accused the BJP of attempting to destabilize the Delhi government by enticing its legislators and fracturing the party. AAP’s Kirari MLA Rituraj Jha has claimed that he was offered Rs 25 crore to defect to the saffron party.
