ACB asks Arvind Kejriwal 5 questions in notice over ' ₹15 crore' charge: 'Make yourself available'
Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that 16 AAP candidates were offered ministerial positions and ₹15 crore each if they switched sides.
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government issued a notice to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, asking him to join a probe into the latter's allegation that the BJP tried to bribe AAP candidates, Calling the allegation “extremely serious”, the ACB asked the former Delhi chief minister to “make himself available” for questioning.
"The Anti-Corruption Branch, GNCT of Delhi is conducting an enquiry into the allegations of offer of bribe to MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party. These allegations are extremely serious and therefore require urgent enquiry and intervention of ACB to establish the truth in the matter," ACB said in the notice.
"You are, therefore, requested to make yourself available at any convenient time today i.e. 07.02.2025 to supply the following information," it added.
ACB asks five questionsfrom Arvind Kejriwal
- Whether the tweet has been posted by you or otherwise?
- Whether you agree with the contents of the tweet that 16 MLA candidates of your party have been offered bribes?
- Details of the 16 candidates for MLA who received phone calls regarding the offer of alleged bribe.
- Details of the phone numbers/persons who approached the aforesaid MLAs regarding the offer of the alleged bribe.
- Any other detail/evidence in support of the claim/allegations of the offer of bribe levelled by you and your party members on various media/social media platforms.
What Arvind Kejriwal alleged
Days after exit polls predicted a BJP win in the Delhi election, Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that 16 AAP candidates were offered ministerial positions and ₹15 crore each if they switched sides.
"Some agencies are showing that the abusive party (BJP) is getting more than 55 seats. In the last two hours, 16 of our candidates have received calls that if they leave the AAP and join their party, they will be made ministers and given ₹15 crore each,” the AAP supremo wrote on X.
ACB team reaches Arvind Kejriwal's house
ACB filed a case in this regard after being prompted by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena.
An ACB team reached Kejriwal's house. However, the situation turned tense as AAP leaders refused to let the officials meet with the politician, accusing them of acting under BJP's influence.
AAP's legal cell chief Sanjeev Nasiar said the ACB didn't have either a warrant or mandate for investigation.
"We have not allowed them to enter Kejriwal's house and meet him. When we asked why they were here, they said they were sent to receive a complaint from Kejriwal. But (AAP Rajya Sabha MP) Sanjay Singh has already reached their office to file a complaint. They are just taking orders from someone else over the phone. It's just a political stunt of the BJP," Nasiar told PTI.
The Delhi assembly election took place on February 5. The results will be declared on Saturday.
