New Delhi, Feb 4: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal received a new notice from the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday, requesting that he provide proof by Monday in response to his accusations of BJP poaching attempts. In the poaching claim case, the Crime Branch also served minister Atishi, a leader of the AAP, with a notice requesting a response within three days. “The Crime Branch of the Delhi police is looking into a complaint regarding your claims that the BJP has promised the sitting AAP MLAs Rs 25 crore each in exchange for their departure from the party and joining the BJP. It further stated, “The notice from the Crime Branch states that it looks from your tweet that you have information and evidence related to a cognizable crime. Please submit the information and answers to the Crime Branch by February 5.” AAP leader Atishi was served a notice earlier in the day by a Crime Branch team in relation to her allegations that the BJP was attempting to overthrow the government as part of “Operation Lotus 2.0″ by luring the party’s MLAs away with financial inducements.Fellow party leader Jasmine Shah commented on the notices sent to Atishi and the AAP convenor, stating that they are only a few letters on a piece of white paper and do not refer to the FIR that the BJP filed in relation to the poaching allegation. A Delhi Police Crime Branch squad visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s home yesterday. Their intention was to give him a notice. Before giving the warning to a CM office representative, they waited for five hours. The notice is neither a summons, nor does it contain any reference to the FIR. Not even a mention of a preliminary investigation is made. Additionally, no reference is made to any IPC or CrPC section. It’s just some words written on a white paper,” he remarked. Shehzad Poonawalla, the leader of the BJP, responded to the AAP by claiming that Kejriwal and his “henchmen” are not only the “un-crowned kings of corruption,” but have also turned into “fugitives.” “They hit and run when accusations are made against them, and they flee when accusations are made against others. If you have proof that your accusations are not unfounded, provide it to the authorities, assist with the inquiry, and let everyone know which MLA and how they were lured. Is this the same kind of accusation you made against Nitin Gadkari and the late Arun Jaitley, only to later issue an apology? In the past, they had threatened to quit if even one accusation was made against them and an inquiry was ordered. Forget about quitting now—they’re not even prepared to assist with the probe,” he remarked. Pravesh Verma, a BJP MP, claimed that the AAP frequently makes false accusations to deflect attention away from accusations or prosecutions brought against them.“Up until now, Kejriwal has not disclosed which MLAs were contacted and offered financial incentives to switch.” He hasn’t disclosed who from the BJP met these AAP leaders either. When we met with the commissioner of Delhi Police, we warned him that we would not take such charges against our party lightly. They fled when the Delhi Police Crime Branch showed up at their door to deliver summonses for evidence. They would have volunteered and replied to these notices if there was any validity to their allegations, according to Verma. Gautam Gambhir, a BJP MP and former cricket player, once claimed that people who are sincere and honest never elude the law.Rather than hiding and making excuses to flee, they confront every circumstance. It merely serves to highlight their way of thinking and perspective, stated Gambhir. Atishi had earlier said that the BJP had threatened and offered payments to a number of AAP MLAs in an attempt to win them over to their cause.
