"Be it Kejriwal or Atishi...": BJP tears into AAP over MLA poaching claim

New Delhi: After the Delhi Police Crime Branch served a notice on AAP leader and minister Atishi on Sunday, in connection with her claim of attempts to poach the party's MLAs, the BJP launched a blistering attack on the ruling party in the national capital.

The BJP said whether it was Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or Education Minister Atishi, they would have to produce evidence to support their allegations against the BJP.

Harish Khurana, the BJP secretary in Delhi, came down heavily on the AAP and dared the ruling party in the national capital to prove its charge of attempts to poach its legislators through cash inducements under 'Operation Lotus 2.0’.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Khurana said, “Whether it is Atishi or Arvind Kejriwal, they will have to come up with evidence to support their allegations against us. They had accused us of trying to prise their MLAs away through bribes and other inducements. Now, the onus is on them to come clean on the AAP's MLAs, who were approached and by whom. Each and every BJP member wants clarity on these allegations. They don't have a shred of evidence against us and are simply resorting to a delaying tactic."

The BJP's Delhi president Virendraa Sachdeva, also waded into the matter, saying that Kejriwal, despite holding a responsible public office, was running away from  ED summonses in the Delhi liquor policy case.

"Despite holding Delhi's highest office, he (Kejriwal) is running away from the ED summonses in the liquor policy case. This only goes to show his complicity in the scam," Sachdeva said.

RJD MP Manoj Jha said the summonses and the ongoing action against AAP leaders were being done at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"I have been repeatedly objecting to this (action by central agencies against Opposition leaders). The ED is simply acting at the behest of (PM) Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. There is not a single state where a strong Opposition-ruled government and elected representatives have not been targeted by the ED, CBI, or IT. Where they (BJP) are weak, the ED is strong. The central agencies are being misused to act out BJP dictates," Jha said.

Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and Atishi arrived at the residence of Chief Minsiter Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, amid the notice from the Crime Branch in the poaching claim case.

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Earlier, on Sunday, a team from the Crime Branch arrived at Atishi's residence to serve a notice on her in connection with the case.

The sleuths from the Crime Branch were at Atishi's residence to serve a notice on the Delhi Education Minister in connection with the Aam Aadmi Party's allegation that the BJP was trying to poach its MLAs through hefty monetary inducements as part of 'Operation Lotus 2.0'.

On Saturday, the Crime Branch issued a notice to AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the poaching allegation.

The Crime Branch sleuths served the notice on CMO officials in the absence of Kejriwal and sought a reply from the AAP supremo within three days.

Atishi, earlier, claimed that the BJP approached several AAP MLAs with bribes and threats in a bid to get them on their side.