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BJP sends defamation notice to Atishi over poaching claim
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and minister Atish on Tuesday accused the BJP of approaching her through a close aide to have her defect to the party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sent a defamation notice to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and minister Atishi a day after she accused the latter of approaching her through a close aide to have her defect to the party.
“She lied. We do not need Atishi in our party. In the defamation notice, we have asked for the name of the person who contacted her...If she does not respond in 15 days, we will explore civil and criminal defamation cases in this matter,” said Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday.
Sachdeva accused AAP of cooking up stories about arrests of its leaders whenever it is cornered. “This has been done without evidence. All arrests in the liquor scam involving AAP leaders have been validated from the trial to the Supreme Court. Atishi’s allegations tarnish the image of BJP and its leadership. ...we issued a defamation notice to Atishi, asking her to retract the accusations.”
Atishi on Tuesday claimed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was also planning to arrest her and AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, and Raghav Chadha. She added she was told they would be arrested if they did not join the BJP. “I have been told that I should boost my political career by joining the BJP, otherwise the ED will arrest me in a month. ...Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have made up their minds to crush AAP and all its leaders.”
Delhi leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who sent the defamation notice on behalf of the party, said baseless allegations were being made. “A false statement was given and no concrete or accurate information was provided... They have not disclosed who contacted her or when this alleged contact was made.”
