AAP leader Atishi claimed that a person close to her said she should join BJP or be prepared to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) within a month.
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi Tuesday claimed she was approached by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asked to join the ruling party within a month or face arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, the Delhi Minister claimed that the BJP approached her through a close aide, asking her to join the saffron party to save her political career, failing which she would be arrested by the probe agency within a month.
“BJP through one of my close aides approached me to join their party to save my political career and If I do not join the BJP then in the coming one month I will be arrested by ED,” Atishi told reporters at Tuesday’s presser.
The AAP leader claimed that she was told that in the coming days, the ED would conduct raids at her residence and that of her relatives.
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BJP ‘rattled’ by INDIA bloc rally, gunning for AAP’s next line of leadership
The BJP has been rattled by the success of the INDIA bloc’s Ramlila Maidan rally on Sunday and has realised that sending Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to jail would not lead to the disintegration of the AAP, she asserted.
Atishi further alleged that the following the arrest of AAP’s top leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia, the BJP was gunning for the next line of party’s leadership.
‘4 more top AAP leaders will be arrested within next two months’
She claimed that four more top AAP leaders, including herself and Saurabh Bharadwaj, will be arrested in the next two months before the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are concluded.
“In the coming two months before the Lok Sabha elections, they will arrest 4 more AAP leaders – Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha,” Atishi claimed.
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‘AAP not scared, won’t cower in fear’
Atishi alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was threatening the AAP by misusing central probe agencies against them.
However, the Delhi Minister asserted that the AAP will not cower in fear and isn’t scared of the scared of the ruling dispensation.
“I want to tell the BJP that we will not be scared of you and we will not cower in fear. We are the soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal. We are aides of Bhagat Singh. We will continue to save the Constitution and will work to give the people a better life under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal,” said Atishi.
On ED statement naming her and Bharadwaj
On ED naming her and Bharadwaj in a Delhi court on Monday, Atishi asserted that the statement has been with the agency for over one and half years and is also included in their as well as the CBI chargesheet in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case.
Atishi claimed that the sole reason this statement was being brought to light now is that the BJP has realised it must take down the next line of leadership of the AAP in order to finish the party.
“The reason for raising this statement was that now the BJP feels that despite Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain being in jail, the Aam Aadmi Party is still united and strong.”
“Now they are planning to put the next line of leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party in jail,” she alleged.
On Monday, the ED told a Delhi court that during the recording of a statement in custody, Arvind Kejriwal stated that his interaction with former AAP communication-in-charge, Vijay Nair, was limited as he only reported to party leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj.
As per the agency’s submission, Vijay Nair’s statements reveal that he stayed in a Cabinet Minister’s bungalow and worked from the camp office of the Chief Minister.
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“It was also put to the arrestee to explain why someone, who reported to other leaders of AAP, works from his camp office, which anyway is meant for the work of the CM of Delhi and not for the party,” the central agency said.
ED further mentioned to the court that Arvind Kejriwal evaded replying to this by claiming unawareness of the persons who work at the CM Camp office.
Arvind Kejriwal arrest
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with a purported money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi Excise policy “scam” case.
Kejriwal’s arrest has triggered mass protests by AAP cadres across the country, especially in national capital New Delhi.
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On Monday, a trial court sent Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 following the end of his ED remand which was granted by a Delhi court on Thursday last.
AAP has insisted that Kejriwal will not step down as chief minister of Delhi and will continue to fulfill his duties from jail.
