ACB Team Denied Entry to Kejriwal’s House Amid Alleged Poaching of AAP Candidates
Amid high drama on the eve of the Delhi Assembly poll results, a team from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was turned away from Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Ferozeshah Road in central Delhi.
New Delhi: Amid high drama on the eve of the Delhi Assembly poll results, a team from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was turned away from Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Ferozeshah Road in central Delhi.
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The ACB team had arrived to record Kejriwal’s statement regarding his allegation of the BJP attempting to poach AAP candidates.
Legal Objections and ACB’s Response
Kejriwal’s lawyers objected to the ACB team’s visit, claiming that they had not been given prior notice. However, the anti-corruption body’s officials argued that no notice or authorisation was required as Kejriwal himself was a complainant in the case.
The ACB’s investigation was prompted by Lieutenant Governor (LG) V.K. Saxena’s directive to probe allegations of bribes being offered to 16 AAP candidates to quit the party and join the BJP.
Lieutenant Governor’s Order for Investigation
The Delhi LG’s order noted, “It has been widely reported that AAP has alleged the BJP is offering bribes to its MLAs to quit the party. A representation was received from Delhi BJP stating that these allegations are false and baseless. The Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor has desired that this matter merits a thorough investigation through the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to establish the truth.”
BJP Leaders Respond to Poaching Allegations
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva responded strongly to Kejriwal’s allegations, stating, “Sanjay Singh, Arvind Kejriwal, if you lie, be ready to face the consequences.” He added, “The allegations you have made are cheap and baseless. If you have facts, present them; otherwise, be prepared for the consequences. The kind of low-level politics you practice is not accepted by the people of Delhi.”
BJP leader and NDMC Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal also criticized the poaching claims, writing on social media, “Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders are getting themselves exposed by telling lies after lies.”
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Kejriwal’s Accusations of BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’
Earlier, on Thursday, Kejriwal took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disapproval of exit polls and highlight his belief that they were being manipulated. He wrote, “Some agencies are showing that the ‘Gali Galoj Party’ is winning more than 55 seats. In the last two hours, 16 of our candidates have got calls saying, ‘Leave your party and join theirs, we’ll make you ministers and give each of you Rs 15-15 crores.’ If their party is indeed winning more than 55 seats, why do they need to call our candidates?”
AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of running an “Operation Lotus” in Delhi, alleging that the BJP was offering bribes to AAP leaders in an attempt to destabilize the party and secure its path to forming the government in the national capital.
Poaching Allegations and Election Results
The controversy surrounding the alleged poaching of AAP candidates comes just one day before the Delhi Assembly election results are to be declared. Most exit polls have given the BJP an edge in the race, but the AAP has maintained that it will form the next government.
