In a five-hour dramatic episode, officials from the Delhi Police Crime Branch served a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday, requiring him to respond within three days regarding his allegations that the BJP attempted to poach seven AAP MLAs.
A Delhi Police officer stated, "We have served the notice on him (Kejriwal). He can give the reply in three days in a written form.”
The notice specifically asks Kejriwal to disclose the names of AAP MLAs who were allegedly approached by the BJP.
Earlier, a scene unfolded at Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines as a Crime Branch team returned on Saturday to serve him the notice, marking the continuation of the probe into his serious accusations.
Last week, Kejriwal, in a post on social media, accused the BJP of offering Rs 25 crore each to seven AAP MLAs to defect from the party, aiming to topple his government.
Following these allegations, Delhi Minister Atishi Singh held a press conference, asserting that the BJP had initiated "Operation Lotus 2.0" in Delhi and accused them of a similar attempt last year.
Responding to Kejriwal's claims, a delegation from the Delhi BJP, led by its chief Virender Sachdeva, met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on January 30, urging a thorough investigation.
A team of Delhi Police officials had previously visited Kejriwal's residence on Friday to deliver the notice but faced resistance, as sources indicated that individuals at the CM's home refused to accept it.
The team made a second attempt on Saturday, eventually handing over the notice to officials present at the CM residence.
The police team, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-level officer, insisted on delivering the notice to Kejriwal personally, citing it is in his name. Meanwhile, officials at the CM's residence expressed readiness to accept the notice and provide a receipt.
Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the police of intentionally avoiding delivering the notice to the CM's office.
He contended that the BJP's claims of the CM office not receiving the notice were debunked, asserting that the ACP deliberately refrained from delivering it to the CM's office.
AAP leader Sandeep Pathak remarked, "All officials will now have to learn to say no, no matter how much pressure they face (from the Centre)."
Gopal Rai, another AAP Minister, urged the Delhi Police to question BJP leaders about the MLAs they allegedly approached for poaching.
AAP sources alleged that the police brought media with them to tarnish the chief minister's image, adding another layer of controversy to the unfolding events.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva accused Kejriwal of behaving like a criminal and fabricating the "Lotus 2.0" story to divert attention from corruption allegations.
The backdrop of these events lies in the recent allegations made by AAP, asserting that the BJP had offered Rs 25 crore each to seven of its MLAs to defect from the party, coupled with threats to topple the Kejriwal government. Kejriwal had initially made these claims in a social media post.
Last week, during a press conference, AAP leader Atishi Singh alleged the initiation of "Operation Lotus 2.0" by the BJP in Delhi, accusing the saffron party of trying to poach AAP MLAs. She claimed that similar attempts had been made in the past but had failed.
In response to these allegations, a delegation from the Delhi BJP, led by Chief Virender Sachdeva, met the city police chief on January 30, requesting an investigation.
After the meeting at the Police Headquarters, Sachdeva stated that Kejriwal was urged to provide evidence to support his allegations, but no one from the AAP had come forward with any proof.
The crime branch team had also visited the residence of Delhi minister Atishi Singh on the previous day but was unable to deliver the notice as she was not present.
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