Delhi Crime branch visits CM Kejriwal's residence over BJP poaching claims

Delhi Crime Branch officers arrived at  Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Friday to serve him a notice in connection with his recent assertions that the BJP was attempting to lure seven AAP MLAs. The Delhi Police notice, as reported by news agency ANI, sought evidence supporting Kejriwal's allegations.

#UPDATE | Crime Branch team of Delhi Police had gone to the house of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Minister Atishi to serve notice, but notice could not be served to either of them because both Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal were not present at their respective residences:…

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2024

BJP dismisses Kejriwal's allegations

Last week, Kejriwal took to social media, claiming that seven of his party MLAs were approached by the BJP. In response, the BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless, with Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva characterizing Kejriwal's claims as politically desperate and a tactic to stay relevant.

“This shows how much politically desperate Kejriwal has become. This unfounded allegation by him is an attempt to keep himself politically alive. The allegation that the BJP wants to break away MLAs of the ruling AAP, having 62 out of 70 MLAs in Delhi, shows his mental bankruptcy,” Sachdeva stated.

The notice served by the Delhi Crime Branch comes amid heightened scrutiny of Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a liquor scam.  However, Kejriwal has labeled the five summons by the agency as unconstitutional and has skipped them.

In another recent flashpoint between AAP and BJP, the Chandigarh mayor election triggered protests from both parties. While the AAP alleged cheating in the mayor election and protested in the capital, the BJP staged its own protest, demanding Kejriwal's resignation over alleged corruption in his government.

During the protest, Kejriwal claimed that cheating in the Chandigarh mayoral polls was captured on camera. He expressed concerns about potential irregularities in future elections and vowed to protect democracy and the country.

What did Delhi CM reveal?

Kejriwal's poaching claims, made on January 27, alleged that the BJP had contacted seven AAP MLAs, predicting his imminent arrest followed by horse-trading of MLAs. 

पिछले दिनों इन्होंने हमारे दिल्ली के 7 MLAs को संपर्क कर कहा है - “कुछ दिन बाद केजरीवाल को गिरफ़्तार कर लेंगे। उसके बाद MLAs को तोड़ेंगे। 21 MLAs से बात हो गयी है। औरों से भी बात कर रहे हैं। उसके बाद दिल्ली में आम आदमी पार्टी की सरकार गिरा देंगे। आप भी आ जाओ। 25 करोड़ रुपये देंगे…

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 27, 2024

Kejriwal posted on X, "I am not being arrested to investigate any liquor scam but they are conspiring to topple the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi. In the last nine years, they hatched many conspiracies to topple our government. But they did not get any success. God and the people always supported us. All our MLAs are also strongly together. This time also these people will fail in their nefarious intentions."

He also claimed offers of ₹25 crore were made to each MLA. The Delhi Crime Branch's notice seeks substantiating evidence for these serious accusations made by the Chief Minister.