New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called a meeting of all his party's candidates a day before the counting of votes in the Delhi Assembly elections.
The officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) issued a notice to Kejriwal asking him to be present for an investigation into the poaching allegations made by him. Following this, drama unfolded at Kejriwal's residence when the ACB officials arrived there for the probe in the evening.
A large number of AAP activists gathered there to prevent the ACB officials. In its notice, the ACB asked Kejriwal to be available for the agency to provide information on the poaching issue.
Kejriwal on Thursday had accused the BJP of attempting to poach 16 of his party's candidates ahead of the Delhi Assembly poll results on Saturday. He alleged that the AAP candidates received offers from the BJP with the promise of ministerial positions and Rs 15 crore each if they switched sides.
AAP candidate from Sultanpur Majra Assembly seat Mukesh Ahlawat in a post on X claimed to have received a call and asked to switch sides for Rs 15 crore. "I will die but will never leave Arvind Kejriwal. I got a call from this number. The caller said that his government is being formed and he will make me a minister and also give me Rs 15 crore. Leave 'AAP' and come," Ahlawat wrote in his post.
मैं मर जाऊंगा, कट जाऊंगा लेकिन कभी @ArvindKejriwal जी का साथ नहीं छोडूंगा।
— Mukesh Ahlawat (@mukeshahlawatap) February 6, 2025
मुझे इस नंबर से फ़ोन आया। उसने बोला कि उनकी सरकार बन रही है, मंत्री बना देंगे और 15 करोड़ भी देंगे। “आप” छोड़ के आ जाओ।
मैं इनको कहना चाहता हूँ कि जो इज़्ज़त केजरीवाल जी ने और “आप” पार्टी ने मुझे दी है,… pic.twitter.com/ZrqIC0R4WD
On Thursday, Kejriwal had said that within two hours, 16 of AAP's candidates had received similar calls. Referring to the BJP, he said, "If their party is getting more than 55 seats, then what is the need to call our candidates?" He said the exit poll which predicts an absolute majority for BJP in Delhi is fake. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi also took to X and said if the BJP is set to win more than 50 seats, then why is the party trying to poach AAP's candidates? "This shows that the exit polls are a conspiracy to demoralise the MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party," she said.
In its notice, delivered at Kejriwal's 5, Ferozeshah Road residence, the ACB has specifically referred to a post on X by Kejriwal accusing the BJP of offering bribes to 16 AAP candidates to switch sides. The notice asked Kejriwal to confirm whether the tweet was made by him and also to provide detailed information on the alleged poaching attempts.
It also seeks the names of the 16 candidates who received phone calls, the phone numbers of those who contacted them and any supporting evidence to substantiate these claims.
"Provide the evidence and proof to support the claim/allegations of the offer of a bribe levelled by you and your party members on various media/social media platforms," the ACB notice reads.
The notice also warns of potential legal action, asking Kejriwal to explain why those spreading such allegations should not be prosecuted for creating "panic and unrest" among the people of Delhi.
"Explain as to why an appropriate legal action should not be taken against the persons spreading such information on media/social media platforms, which is tantamount to creating panic and unrest amongst the people of Delhi," the notice reads.
Earlier, high drama unfolded as AAP strongly criticised the ACB's action, calling it an attempt to intimidate the party ahead of the election results.
AAP's legal cell chief Sanjeev Nasiar alleged that the ACB initially had no legal notice and was sitting outside Kejriwal's house without clarity on their purpose.
"They did not have any legal notice at first. After one-and-a-half hours, they served us with a notice. This drama is orchestrated by the LG office in collusion with the BJP. The officers were under pressure," Nasiar claimed.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh backed these allegations and filed a complaint with the ACB, stating that more than 16 AAP candidates had been approached by unidentified individuals attempting to lure them away from the party.
"I am a member of the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) of the Aam Aadmi Party and also the party's leader in Parliament. On February 6, around 2.30 pm when I was present in Parliament, I personally received information from my colleagues that the current MLAs and party candidates are being contacted by the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and are being asked to join the BJP by offering bribes worth crores of rupees and ministerial posts," Singh said in his complaint.
Singh further asked for appropriate action on his complaint.
The BJP, however, dismissed AAP's accusations, labelling them as baseless and an attempt to deflect attention from the party's internal troubles.
The controversy erupted after Delhi BJP general secretary Vishnu Mittal submitted a representation to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, urging action against AAP for allegedly spreading misinformation about poaching attempts.
Following this, Saxena directed the ACB to conduct an inquiry, leading to the issuance of the notice to Kejriwal. (with PTI inputs)
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