Allegations surfaced today from Atishi, a Delhi minister, claiming that four more senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are slated for arrest within the next two months, as part of what she alleges is the BJP’s concerted effort to suppress AAP by utilizing central agencies. Atishi accused the BJP of attempting to coerce her, along with Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, and party MLA Durgesh Pathak, into joining their ranks, threatening arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) if they refuse.
According to Atishi, a BJP representative approached her with the offer, stating that the BJP’s intention is to dismantle AAP’s leadership by imprisoning its key members. She cited previous arrests, including those of Satyendra Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and even Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as evidence of this alleged strategy. Atishi disclosed that she had received information suggesting potential raids by the ED on her and her relatives’ residences in the near future, but vowed resilience, asserting their commitment to Kejriwal’s cause.
Atishi also referenced statements made by Arvind Kejriwal to the ED implicating herself and Bharadwaj, suggesting that these agencies might be targeting the next tier of AAP leadership. In response, the BJP dismissed Atishi’s claims as groundless and suggested internal strife within AAP, implying a power struggle between factions led by Sunita and Arvind Kejriwal, and Bharadwaj and Atishi.
These allegations and counter-claims mark the latest exchange in the ongoing tensions between AAP and BJP following Kejriwal’s arrest in connection with a money laundering case related to Delhi’s former liquor policy. Kejriwal has been remanded in judicial custody until April 15 and transferred to Delhi’s Tihar jail, with the ED alleging non-cooperation in their investigation.
