After Kejriwal, Atishi gets a visit from Delhi Police
New Delhi, February 4
Officials of the Delhi Crime Branch visited the residence of senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi this morning to serve a notice to her in the alleged MLA poaching case.
The police officials had earlier visited Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Friday evening. They again visited the AAP national convener’s house on Saturday.
On Saturday, the police officials left the Delhi CM’s residence after five hours.
Jasmine Shah, senior AAP leader, said, “On Friday, a team of the Delhi Crime Branch came to the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal. Officials wanted to hand over a notice. On Saturday, they waited for five hours before giving the notice to an official of the Chief Minister’s office (CMO)… The notice does not include anything about an FIR. It is not a summon or a preliminary inquiry, and there is no mention of any Section of the IPC or CrPC. This is just a letter on a white paper.”
Shah was also involved in an argument with ACP, Crime Branch, Pankaj Arora for creating a “drama” and not giving the notice to the CMO. The confrontation was captured on camera and the AAP circulated it on social media.
On Sunday, the crime branch team visited the residence of Atishi. But, she was not at her residence. The AAP said the Delhi Cabinet minister had directed her camp office to receive the notice. After a couple of hours, they gave the notice to her office, asking her to provide answers to the allegations by Monday.
Atishi reiterated that the same Crime Branch officers who visited the CM residence on Saturday came to her residence to serve the notice.
She said, “These notices do not mention any Section of the IPC, CrPC or PMLA Act. Everyone in the country knows who is trying to poach MLAs of the Opposition parties, even the crime branch officials know, but they are made to create a drama for a media hype.”
The AAP had alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to poach its MLAs. The party had said that seven of its MLAs were offered Rs 25 crore each for joining the rivals.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “Till now Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal were saying that they have proof that seven of their MLAs are being poached. Now, the Delhi Police have been asking for the proof and the crime branch went to the residence of Arvind Kejriwal and he ran away. Now when the crime branch went to the residence of Atishi, she went missing.”
“If it (AAP) feels that the Delhi Police are wrong, it should move the court. Why is it afraid of going the court? It is trying to befool the people. However, people know everything,” said Dushyant Gautam, a BJP leader.
AAP leader asked to reply by Monday
The Delhi Police have asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to submit the answers in connection with the allegations of “poaching of its MLAs” made by the AAP. Kejriwal has been asked to submit the answers by Monday. The CM had, in January, alleged that the BJP had offered Rs 25 crore each to seven of its MLAs to join their party.
