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NATION FEBRUARY 23, 2024 | The Indian Eye 8

Kejriwal next on ED radar? Delhi chief minister

cries conspiracy by BJP to topple his Govt

Senior AAP leader Atishi also claimed that the BJP has approached several AAP

MLAs with bribes and threats in a bid to induce defection

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi
fter alleging that the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) is trying to
Apoach AAP MLAs and topple
his government, Delhi CM Arvind
Kejriwal moved a Motion of Confi-
dence in the assembly on Friday. The
proceedings of the House will take
place on Saturday and the motion will
be taken up for discussion.
The Budget session that con-
vened on Thursday is expected to
continue till February 21. Earlier,
CM Kejriwal alleged that the BJP
was conspiring to topple the Aam
Aadmi Party government and that
some of his party MLAs had been
offered bribes to leave the party and
break his government.
“Recently, they (BJP) have con-
tacted our 7 MLAs from Delhi and
said-We will arrest Kejriwal after a
few days. After that, we will break Nation-2a: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and State Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel await to receive Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar
the MLAs. Talks have been held with Saxena during the opening day of the Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly, in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Photo/Jitender Gupta)
21 MLAs. Talking to others as well.
After that, we will topple the Aam
Aadmi Party government in Delhi. done for the people of Delhi, and de- Meanwhile, the Enforcement stop him from election campaigning.
You also come, we will give you Rs spite all the obstacles created by the Directorate (ED) has issued a sixth On Kejriwal’s role, one of the six
25 crore and get you to contest the BJP, the AAP government in Delhi summons to Delhi Chief Minister charge sheets filed in January 2023
elections on BJP ticket,” Kejriwal has accomplished so much. Arvind Kejriwal in a money launder- states that Kejriwal told businessman
posted on X. “The people of Delhi love ‘AAP’ ing probe related to irregularities in Sameer Mahendru that former AAP
“Although they claim that they immensely. Therefore, it is not in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case communications in-charge Vijay
have contacted 21 MLAs, but as per their power to defeat AAP in the asking him to join the investigation Nair “is his boy” and that he should
our information, they have contacted elections. So they want to topple the on February 19. The fresh summons trust him.
only 7 MLAs so far and all of them government by making arrests on the to the Delhi Chief Minister were is- Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vi-
have refused,” Kejriwal said. pretext of a fake liquor scam,” said sued after he skipped the fifth sum- nai Kumar Saxena’s move to order
The Delhi CM said that this the post by Kejriwal. mons on February 2. a probe into alleged irregularities in
means that “I am not being arrested Senior AAP leader Atishi also Kejriwal has so far skipped five the regime prompted the scrapping
to investigate any liquor scam, but claimed that the BJP has approached previous summons issued by the ED of the policy. The AAP has accused
they are conspiring to topple the Aam several AAP MLAs with bribes and on February 2, January 18, January Saxena’s predecessor, Anil Baijal,
Aadmi Party government in Delhi.” threats in a bid to induce defection. 3, November 2 and December 22, of sabotaging the move with a few
“In the last nine years, they have The AAP leader said, “BJP has start- calling them “illegal and politically last-minute changes that resulted in
hatched many conspiracies to topple ed ‘Operation Lotus 2.0’, and is trying motivated”. lower-than-expected revenues.
our government. But they did not to topple the democratically elected The ED wants to record Kejri- Two senior AAP leaders -- Man-
have any success. God and the people AAP government in Delhi. 7 MLAs wal’s statement in the case on issues ish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh -- are
always supported us. All our MLAs of the AAP have been contacted by like the formulation of policy, meet- already under judicial custody in the
are also strongly united. This time the BJP, and have been told, that ings held before it was finalised, and case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi
also, these people will fail in their Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested soon, allegations of bribery. While skipping Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested
nefarious intentions,” Kejriwal said.’ after which there will be a rift among the fifth summons issued by the ED, by the CBI on February 26 following
The Delhi CM further claimed AAP MLAs. They are in touch with Kejriwal termed it “illegal”, saying he several rounds of questioning and on
in his post that the BJP knows how 21 of our MLAs, using whom they was ready to cooperate but the agen- October 5, the ED arrested Singh,
much work the AAP government has aim to topple the Delhi government.” cy’s intention was to arrest him and who is a Rajya Sabha member.

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