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MLA poaching claim: Kejriwal's ‘nautanki’ attack on Delhi Police's ‘political bosses’
The police, he said, were not being allowed to do their actual job of stopping crime in the national capital.
Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday broke his silence on the Delhi Police crime branch visiting his residence to serve him notice over his recent claims that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried to poach seven legislators from his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), offering them ₹25 crore.
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Instead of stopping crime, Delhi Police, which comes under the Union home ministry, was being made to do ‘drama,' Kejriwal said. The incumbent Union government is led by the BJP, a bitter rival to the AAP.
“I sympathise with this crime branch police officer. What is their (officers') fault? Their job is to stop crime. But instead, this kind of drama is being done. That is why crime is increasing so much in Delhi,” the AAP national convenor posted on X.
Attacking the BJP, The Delhi chief minister added: “Their (police's) political bosses are asking me which AAP MLA they (BJP) tried to break? But don't you know more than me…don't you know everything? Don't you know how, besides Delhi, MLAs from various parties were poached to topple (opposition-led state) governments, in the past few years? Then why this drama?”
On Saturday morning, the crime branch visited the chief minister's residence after failing to serve him notice the previous evening. This time, however, the team was able to serve the notice. The BJP, in opposition in the national capital, had filed a complaint against him and Atishi, a minister in the Delhi government.
These developments come at a time when Kejriwal is already in the crosshairs of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a central agency that probes financial crimes, over his alleged role in the Delhi excise policy case. He has, however, refused to appear before the agency, ignoring five summons in the process.
Two of his senior party colleagues – Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – are among those already behind bars in the excise policy case. Kejriwal and the AAP have called the summons ‘illegal’ and an attempt by the BJP to jail him too, as the saffron party is ‘scared’ of the chief minister.
