Delhi Police serves notice to Arvind Kejriwal over claims of poaching AAP MLAs

After a fivehour drama Crime Branch officials of the Delhi Police on Saturday served a notice on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to reply within three days in a probe into his claims that the BJP attempted to poach seven AAP MLAsA Delhi Police officer said We have served the notice on him Kejriwal He can give the reply in three days in a written formThe Crime Branch has asked Kejriwal to reveal the names of AAP MLAs who were claimed to have been approached by the BJPEarlier a drama unfolded at Kejriwals residence in Civil Lines as a Crime Branch team arrived again on Saturday to serve him a notice in connection with the probeSharing a video of some policemen at his residence Kejriwal posted on X that he sympathised with the police officers sent to serve him notice and added its their duty to stop crime in Delhi but they are being made to indulge in drama That is why crime is rising in DelhiHe also said in the post without naming any party or leader that the political bosses are asking him which AAP MLAs were contacted for switching sidesIn an apparent swipe at the BJP he asked why there was drama on the issue when the party knew who was behind toppling governments of other parties across the country in the last few years by poaching MLAsLast week Kejriwal had alleged on X that the BJP offered Rs 25 crore each to seven AAP MLAs to quit the party in order to topple his governmentShortly after Kejriwal Delhi Minister Atishi held a press conference and alleged that the BJP had launched Operation Lotus 20 in DelhiThey had made a similar attempt to poach AAP MLAs last year by offering them money but failed she saidAfter the allegations were made a delegation of the Delhi BJP led by its chief Virender Sachdeva met Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on January 30 seeking a probeA team of Delhi Police officials reached Kejriwals residence on Friday to serve notice but failed with sources saying the men at his home refused to accept it The team reached the Delhi chief ministers residence again on Saturday with the noticeThe police sources said the notice was finally handed over to the officials present at the CM residenceThe police team was led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police ACPlevel officer who insisted that they will hand over the notice to Kejriwal only as it is in his name while officials at the CMs residence said they are ready to take the notice and give a receivingOutside the premises AAP leader Jasmine Shah was seen trying to seek explanation from a Crime Branch official on the legal provision under which he was insisting on handing over the notice personally to KejriwalI asked a simple question to the Delhi Police officer standing in front of the entrance of the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal Under which law is he insisting to hand over a notice personally to CM He had no answers It is clear they are only here to do nautanki drama Shah wrote posting a video on XDelhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the police were deliberately not delivering the notice to the CMs officeThis is so embarrassing for the Modi government The BJP is totally exposed today Yesterday all BJP spokespersons alleged that the CM office did not receive police notice Today they are exposed The ACP is deliberately not delivering notice to CM office he wrote on XAnother AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said All officials will now have to learn to say no no matter how much pressure they face from the CentreAAP Minister Gopal Rai in his Facebook account said the Delhi Police should ask the BJP leaders about the MLAs they had approached for poachingAAP sources claimed the police have brought the media with them to tarnish the chief ministers imageDelhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva in a press statement alleged that Kejriwals behaviour has become like that of criminals He has no evidence and the allegation of Lotus 20 is a fabricated story to divert attention from his corruption he saidBJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri in the statement said FIRs should be filed against Kejriwal and Atishi if they fail to prove their allegations Stringent action should be taken against them he addedThe development comes a day after a crime branch team visited the chief ministers residence but failed to deliver the noticeA Crime Branch team had visited the residence of Atishi also on Friday but could not deliver the notice as she was not presentThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever