New Delhi: A team from the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrived at the residence of sitting minister and ruling AAP leader Atishi here in the national capital on Sunday.
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’.
According to sources, the Delhi minister instructed officials at her camp office to receive the summons in her absence.
Earlier, on Saturday, officials from the Delhi Police Crime Branch issued a notice to AAP convenor and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the poaching allegation.
#WATCH | A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch officials arrive at the residence of Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi
Police officials are here to serve notice in connection with Aam Aadmi Party’s allegation against BJP “of trying to buy AAP MLAs”. pic.twitter.com/nHCj1GSCAs
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2024
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.
“BJP has launched ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’ and is trying to topple the democratically elected AAP government in Delhi. As many as 7 MLAs of the AAP have been contacted by the BJP and have been told that Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested soon after which rift and disunity will consume the party. They are in touch with 21 of our MLAs and they are planning to use them to topple our government. Those 7 MLAs have been offered Rs 25 crore each. They unleashed ‘Operation Lotus’ to come to power through the back door in states where they were not democratically elected. Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh are examples,” the AAP leader said.
Atishi claimed further that the AAP was in possession of a purported audio clip of a conversation on ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’, adding that the party could bring it to the public domain, if necessary.
“As of now, 7 MLAs have been approached by the BJP. We have an audio clip of one such conversation and will release it if required,” Atishi said.
However, the BJP rejected the AAP’s claim of plotting ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’ to bring down its government in the national capital.
Meanwhile, after being served a summons by the Delhi Crime Branch on Saturday in connection with the poaching charge against the BJP, Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal accused the city police of resorting to a ‘drama’ at the behest of their ‘political masters’ instead of curbing the rising crime wave in the Capital.
