Delhi Police attempt to deliver notices in MLA ‘poaching’ allegations
New Delhi: Delhi Police attempted to serve notices on Friday to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Cabinet Minister Atishi, requesting their participation in the investigation into their allegations that the BJP was trying to poach AAP MLAs. Sources, however, said that both individuals declined to accept the notices.
The sources in the Delhi Police said Crime Branch teams will visit their residences again on Saturday to give them the notices.
This comes days after the Delhi BJP submitted a complaint to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora in the matter. The police sources said the notice was given to Kejriwal “but he did not accept it”, a claim rejected by the AAP which said the crime branch team left without serving the notice.
“The officials from the chief minister’s office were ready to accept the notice but the Delhi Police left without handing over anything,” an AAP
source said. Referring to the notice meant for Kejriwal, sources in the police said he is supposed to join the probe. Another Crime Branch team went to Atishi’s house. “Neither Kejriwal nor Atishi received the notices. The teams of the Crime Branch are likely to go again tomorrow to serve the notices,” a police source added.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “We had said Kejriwal is levelling false allegations to create sensation. The truth behind Kejriwal’s lie is about to be exposed now. He cannot lie and then run away from the probe. He will have to face the investigation.”
Last week, the AAP had alleged the BJP had offered Rs 25 crore each to seven of its MLAs to quit the party while also threatening to topple the Kejriwal government.
Kejriwal had made the allegations in a post on X.
At a press conference also here last week, Atishi had alleged the BJP had launched “Operation Lotus 2.0” in Delhi. “They had made a similar attempt to poach AAP MLAs last year by offering them money but failed.”
She said similar conspiracies were hatched by the BJP in the past also. In 2022, they tried to break away AAP MLAs and get them to join the BJP by promising money, she added.
