The Delhi BJP on Wednesday said it sent Delhi minister Atishi a legal notice over her claim that the BJP approached her and told her to join the party or face jail. "This time we won't let her escape. She has to answer and provide evidence for what she is claiming. We asked her to apologise by the evening (Tuesday). She didn't and so we have sent her a legal notice to which she will have to reply within 15 days," Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said.
Atishi on Tuesday made an explosive claim that after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, the ED was now closing in on her, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha. Atishi said she was approached by a BJP person, very close to her, who told her that she and the other AAP leaders would be arrested if they didn't join the BJP.
The BJP leaders outrightly refuted the statement and said Atishi should reveal the name of the person. Accusing Atishi of telling lies, the BJP said the party did not have any vacancy for a leader like Atishi.
After sending the legal notice, Delhi BJP said if Atishi did not reply to the notice within the stipulated time, there would be legal actions against her.
"There is no vacancy in our party for a political activist like Atishi. There is a yuva leader (Rahul Gandhi) who said that a BJP worker has said that after getting 400 seats, we will destroy the constitution. No one has given such a statement. I don't think any worker of the BJP will go to Atishi and say such a thing at a time when the whole party is stuck in a liquor scam. Do we need to have a headache by getting them into our party?" Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
{{/usCountry}}"There is no vacancy in our party for a political activist like Atishi. There is a yuva leader (Rahul Gandhi) who said that a BJP worker has said that after getting 400 seats, we will destroy the constitution. No one has given such a statement. I don't think any worker of the BJP will go to Atishi and say such a thing at a time when the whole party is stuck in a liquor scam. Do we need to have a headache by getting them into our party?" Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.
{{/usCountry}}Atishi has not yet commented on any legal notice.
While Arvind Kejriwal remains in Tihar till April 15, in a major boost to the Aam Aadmi Party, Sanjay Singh has been granted bail in the same liquor policy case though the Supreme Court said Sanjay Singh's bail can't be cited as precedence in any other related case.