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After Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Police at Atishi's home over 'BJP poaching’ claims
On Saturday, crime branch officials of the Delhi Police served a notice on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi Police crime branch arrived at Delhi minister Atishi's residence in Mathura Road on Sunday to serve her notice in connection with the Aam Aadmi Party's claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party attempted to poach seven AAP MLAs. Initial reports indicated that Atishi was not at home when the team reached her residence.
A video by news agency ANI showed the crime branch outside Atishi's residence. This comes a day after crime branch officials of the Delhi Police served a notice on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, after a five-hour drama, asking him to reply within three days in a probe into his claims that the BJP attempted to poach AAP MLAs.
AAP leader Jasmine Shah says, "Yesterday, a team of the Delhi Police crime branch came to the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal. They wanted to give a notice. They waited for five hours before giving a notice to an official of the CM office... The notice does not include anything about an FIR, it is not a summon or a preliminary inquiry, and there is no mention of any section of the IPC or CrPC. This is just a letter on a white paper."
A Delhi Police officer told Saturday said, “We have served the notice on him (Kejriwal). He can give the reply in three days in a written form.”
The crime branch also asked Arvind Kejriwal to reveal the names of AAP MLAs who were claimed to have been approached by the BJP. Earlier, a drama unfolded at Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines as a crime branch team arrived again on Saturday to serve him a notice in connection with the investigation.
Sharing a video of some policemen at his residence, Arvind Kejriwal posted on X (formally Twitter) that he sympathised with the police officers sent to serve him notice and added “it's their duty to stop crime in Delhi but they are being made to indulge in drama. That is why crime is rising in Delhi”.
The Delhi chief minister also said in the post, without naming any party or leader, that the "political bosses" are asking him which AAP MLAs were contacted for switching sides.
In an apparent dig at the BJP, Arvind Kejriwal asked why there was drama on the issue when the party knew who was behind toppling governments of other parties across the country in the last few years by poaching MLAs.
Last week, Arvind Kejriwal had alleged on X that the BJP offered ₹25 crore each to seven AAP MLAs to quit the party to topple his AAP government.
Shortly after that, Atishi held a press conference and alleged that 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," Atishi alleged.
After the allegations were made, a delegation of the Delhi BJP led by its chief Virender Sachdeva met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on January 30, seeking an investigation.
(With inputs from agencies)
